Niterói police arrest seven after gunshot detection system alerts

A police operation in the Santo Cristo community, located in the Fonseca neighborhood of Niterói, resulted in the discovery of an unidentified body and the arrest of seven suspects. The action was prompted by the ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection system, which recorded 83 shots and 14 alerts between 12:59 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. on Friday.

Following the alerts, the Integrated Public Security Center (Cisp) relayed geolocation data to the 12th Military Police Battalion. Tactical units located the body in a high area of the hill. During subsequent searches of two seemingly abandoned houses, officers apprehended seven men, reportedly from the Maré, Nova Iguaçu, and Mangaratiba regions.

Authorities seized three pistols, a firearm replica, two radio transmitters, drugs, and cash. The incident is being investigated by the Homicide Police Station of Niterói, São Gonçalo, and Itaboraí, with preliminary indications suggesting the gunfire may have involved rival criminal groups.