Rio de Janeiro: Speech therapist shot in neck inside bus during police shootout

A 53-year-old speech therapist, Aline de Siqueira Affonso, was critically injured after being shot in the neck while riding a public bus in Rio de Janeiro. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in the Vicente de Carvalho region of the North Zone during a violent confrontation between military police and armed criminals near the Comunidade do Trem.

The bullet struck Affonso in the cervical region, lodging in her spine. Following a surgery lasting over four hours at the Hospital Estadual Getúlio Vargas, she was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Reports indicate the injury is extremely severe, with some sources stating the victim has become tetraplegic due to spinal cord damage.

During the shootout, passengers fled the bus to seek shelter in a nearby school. A military officer eventually took control of the vehicle to transport the victim to the hospital. The Rio Ônibus association issued a statement lamenting the routine violence that threatens the safety of passengers and transport workers. Police have intensified patrolling in the area, and the Civil Police are investigating the incident.