On the night of last Wednesday (25), a child was shot dead at the door of his house, in São João de Meriti, in Baixada Fluminense. Rafaelly da Rocha Vieira had turned 10 last week and the family was preparing a celebration for next Saturday (28) at a farm.
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The girl was rescued in a Ready-Service Unit (UPA) but could not resist the firearm injury. “She had a cardiorespiratory arrest and all rescue attempts were made, but unfortunately, without success. The child arrived at the unit alive, but did not resist the injuries”, informed the Health Department of São João de Meriti.
In an interview with Globo TV, Rafaelly’s godmother said that the family does not live in a risk area and that the girl went to the front door to play with other children who were on the street. Around 7:30 pm, she was the victim of a stray bullet in the chest.
“Asking for justice to be served will not make a difference, it will not bring my goddaughter back. Every day we are burying children in our state. Stop normalizing the use of guns. Stop thinking it’s normal for children to die everyday. It is not normal”, said Elza Alaíde Menezes.
According to residents, hooded men invaded Rua Doutor Monteiro de Barros and fired rifle shots at random. The location is on the corner of one of the busiest roads in São João de Meriti. This Thursday morning (26), residents burned pieces of wood and tires in protest over the child’s death.
“We think it will only happen in the next family. People think they’ll only see it on television. And, at that exact moment, my goddaughter’s body is in the IML with a rifle shot. She died, aged ten, from a rifle shot. No one deserves to go through this, especially a child”, completed Rafaelly’s godmother.
Source: BdF Rio de Janeiro
Editing: Clivia Mesquita
