Bullets flying from the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill" in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro tore into the helicopter and hit the pilot

Bullets flying from the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill" in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro tore into the helicopter and hit the pilot in the leg as he hovered above the shootout, causing him to lose control and crash.
Two officers died, while the pilot and three other policemen escaped after the craft hit the ground on a football field and burst into flames. The pilot and a second officer suffered burns and bullet wounds. The other two officers also were burned, one gravely, said Mario Sergio Duarte, head of Rio state's military police.
Officials did not know whether the gangs targeted the helicopter or whether it was hit by stray bullets, but the event underscored security concerns that have dogged Brazil's second-largest city for decades.
Despite the mayhem, officials defended Rio's ability to control violence ahead of the Olympics as well as before 2014, when Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament with key games in Rio.
"In choosing the city, they already knew about the work that's being carried out and will continue in the area of (crime) prevention," Justice Minister Tarso Genro told the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency.
Rio state Gov. Sergio Cabral grimly told reporters that Rio's security challenges can't be cured "by magic in the short term," but he said money is being poured into programs to reduce crime and authorities are prepared to mount an overwhelming security presence at the sporting events to ensure safety.
"We told the International Olympic Committee that this won't be an easy thing, and they know that," Cabral said. "We can put 40,000 people on the streets — federal, state and municipal police — and pull off the event."
Duarte said it was unlikely that traffickers fired an anti-aircraft missile at the helicopter, though such weapons have been found in the hideouts of Rio's drug traffickers along with other heavy, military-grade arms such as grenade launchers and .50-caliber machine guns.
The pilot was able to make a somewhat controlled, though extremely rough landing, which would have been unlikely if the aircraft had been hit by a heavy weapon, Duarte said.
Police said 10 presumed traffickers were killed during the fighting in the slum, including three suspects found dead inside a vehicle. Officials gave no details on how the other seven died.
They said at least eight buses were set on fire in nearby slums as the shootouts raged. Television images showed motorists fleeing for cover as automatic-weapons fire crackled in broad daylight amid the worst violence the city has seen in months.
Images broadcast by Globo TV showed flames shooting from the helicopter wreckage, with little more than charred pieces and an intact tail remaining after the fire was doused.

Drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter during a gunbattle between rival gangs Saturday

Drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter during a gunbattle between rival gangs Saturday, killing two officers and injuring four in a burst of violence just two weeks after the city was chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
Ten suspected drug traffickers were also killed during the fighting in a shantytown, and two bystanders were injured, officials said.

Gunmen started shooting as they entered the bar in Toa Baja, near the capital San Juan,

Gunmen started shooting as they entered the bar in Toa Baja, near the capital San Juan, prompting several customers to pull out guns and return fire. Seven people were killed and some 20 injured, including a pregnant woman who lost her eight-month-old unborn child. It is one of the most violent single incidents in Puerto Rico in many years. Three people were found dead inside the nightclub and another three were killed just outside, prosecutor Wanda Vazquez said. The seventh victim died in hospital. Investigators suspect the killing was linked to a turf war between drug gangs. "We can't be certain that this was drug-related, but the way it played out appears that it was," Ms Vazquez said. Puerto Rico is a key shipment point in the Caribbean for illegal drugs being smuggled into the US, because as a US territory it is free from customs checks.

Jamaica handguns, rifles and bullets that stoke one of the world's highest murder rates.

Handguns, rifles and bullets that stoke one of the world's highest murder rates.
The volume is much less than the flow of U.S. guns into Mexico that end up in the hands of drug cartels -- Jamaican authorities recover fewer than 1,000 firearms a year. But of those whose origin can be traced, 80 percent come from the U.S., Jamaican law enforcement officials have said in interviews with The Associated Press.
And as the Obama administration cracks down on smuggling into Mexico, Jamaicans fear even more firearms will reach the gangs whose turf wars plague the island of 2.8 million people.''It's going to push a lot of that trade back toward the Caribbean like it was back in the '80s,'' said Vance Callender, an attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).U.S. authorities are beginning to target the Jamaican gun-smuggling network as part of a broad effort to boost security in the Caribbean.But they have a long way to go. Jamaican authorities have confiscated only 100 guns coming into ports in the last five years, along with 6,000 rounds of ammunition. That in turn is just a fraction of the 700 or so weapons confiscated on the streets each year.Authorities know they're only seeing ''the tip of the iceberg,'' said Mark Shields, Jamaica's deputy police commissioner.With arsenals to rival police firepower, the gangs are blamed for 90 percent of the homicides in Jamaica -- 1,611 last year, about 10 times more than the U.S. rate, relative to population.Unlike in Mexico, the vast majority of Jamaican guns seized are submitted for tracing. Jamaica and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives find most of the seized weapons come from three Florida counties -- Orange, Dade and Broward -- all with large Jamaican populations, according to Shields.X-ray scanners were installed two years ago at Jamaican ports, but the gangs use bribery and intimidation to get their shipments past inspectors.In April, a newly hired customs supervisor had his tires slashed and days later was shot at on his way home from work, authorities say. The man was known for his strict scrutiny of cargo coming into a gang-infiltrated warehouse on the Kingston wharf.When the gangs apply pressure, ''no one says no,'' said Danville Walker, Jamaica's commissioner of customs.

Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire sentenced to life in prison by a judge in Florida.

Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire sentenced to life in prison by a judge in Florida.In June 2006, Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire, killed Tracy Bennawit, 33, because he discovered that she had a new boyfriend. He then fled back to the UK and tried to join the French Foreign Legion to avoid being caught.Bridgeman, who said Bennawit "threw me out like garbage" when their relationship turned sour, eventually gave himself up after a manhunt across Europe. He was extradited to the US, where a jury took less than six hours to convict him of murder on Friday night after a week-long trial."It's the verdict he deserved," said Adam Strickland, Bennawit's boyfriend, who was shot in the chest and seriously wounded in the ambush. Bennawit's son, Caelin, 14, witnessed the attack but was not hurt.Lawyers for Bridgeman, who was also Bennawit's business partner in a failed video game shop, argued unsuccessfully that their client was guilty only of manslaughter because he acted in the heat of passion.

Oscar Segura, 23, of Santa Ana.shot to death Thursday afternoon

A man shot to death Thursday afternoon was identified today by police as Oscar Segura, 23, of Santa Ana.Police were called to South Standard Avenue and Beverly Place just before 3:30 p.m. with reports of a person shot. They didn't find anyone at that corner, but did find a wounded man in the 800 block of East Normandy Place, a block to the south.Segura was taken to Western Medical Center, where he died around 45 minutes later.Police are investigating the shooting as a gang-related attack.Norma Prado, who is Segura’s cousin once removed, said that Segura was going to the store to get ready to watch the Los Angeles Lakers game with friends and his uncle when he was hit by a bullet.One of the shots hit his liver and then pierced his heart, Prado said. “He was always very loving, a very likable person,” Prado said. “I don't think he had any enemies that I knew of.”“At the hospital, the doctors did everything they could, but he had lost a lot of blood and nothing could be done for him,” Prado said. “All I can say about him is that he was a wonderful person – never was disrespectful to any one of us, very polite.”Segura’s neighbor Amanda Gallegos was shocked to hear the news. She used to say hi when she’d see Segura taking a walk with his daughter.Segura was known for helping out senior citizens in the neighborhood, she said.“Everybody really liked him,” Gallegos said. “He’s not a person I’d say was in a gang. He wasn’t full of tattoos, and you’d never see him with that type of crowd. He was very helping to the neighborhood and never expected anything in return.”

17-year old suspect in the shooting deaths of two men during a running gun battle on Interstate 75 in March was arrested today

17-year old suspect in the shooting deaths of two men during a running gun battle on Interstate 75 in March was arrested today, Evendale police said.Details on where the teen was taken into custody were not immediately available. The teen's name has not been released by authorities. He lives in Springdale.The shootings occurred after a dispute early March 18 in Garage Sports Bar & Grill in Sharonville. The argument continued on the highway. Evendale police have said the teen was nearby and became involved in the highway chase and shootings.Two 25-year-old Westwood men, Keith Cobb and Scott Neblett Jr., were found dead inside a Chevrolet Blazer that had been riddled with bullets. Both had extensive criminal records, mostly involving drug offenses.The SUV flipped twice and landed upright. Marijuana and a 9 mm gun were found inside.When Evendale police announced charges against the teen last month, they said another arrest was expected. It was not clear today if that second suspect has been caught.

victim has not been named 28-year-old man with gunshot wounds who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police were called to Fulham Court, a block of flats on Fulham Road, Fulham, at around 7pm on Thursday night after reports of shots being fired.Armed police and ambulance crews found a 28-year-old man with gunshot wounds who was pronounced dead at the scene.No arrests have been made in connection with the death.
The victim has not been named.

Jamaican hitman has been brought to T&T to assassinate head of the North Eastern Divisional Task Force Sgt Roger Alexander.

Jamaican hitman has been brought to T&T to assassinate head of the North Eastern Divisional Task Force Sgt Roger Alexander. Members of the Special Anti-Crime Unit (Sautt) and officers of the Repeat Offenders Programme (Rope) reportedly unearthed the plot. Yesterday, Alexander confirmed that he had been informed of the plot and a report has been submitted to acting Police Commissioner James Philbert and head of the North Eastern Division Senior Supt Theophilus Cummings.Police sources said they received information last Friday that a prime suspect, implicated in the killing of Sean “Bill” Francis, was responsible for hiring the hitman. Investigating officers believe the hitman had been hiding out somewhere in Laventille Road, San Juan. Police were up to late yesterday searching for him. Investigators said the plot was unearthed after the Morvant Police Station was flooded with calls regarding the Jamaican national. The callers, police said, warned that a “hefty” price had been put on Alexander’s head.“The calls became more and more disturbing...They described how Alexander would be killed and it was definitely not something we could have ignored,” one investigator said. He said lawmen were also told that police officers in Jamaica were “dealt with differently.” Alexander, who worked at the then Organised Crime, Narcotics Unit (OCNU) has been instrumental in the arrest of several murder suspects within the North Eastern Division. Last Friday, Alexander and his team of officers recovered the gun which they believed had been used in the killing of Francis’ 25-year-old nephew Nathaniel. The younger Francis, of Vegas in Morvant, went on a robbery with another man at Cipriani Avenue, Morvant, but was instead confronted by irate villagers and shot and killed with his own gun.
There had been several attempts in the past by unknown people to kill Alexander. In one instance black magic was used to issue a warning. Alexander’s name was written in blood on a piece of paper which was tied to rotting chicken feet and nailed to a utility pole in Morvant. But the threats have had no impact on Alexander. “At the end of the day, the work must go on and I am definitely not afraid. I will continue to do my duty and continue to bring criminals to justice,” Alexander said.

Handgun, ammunition and cannabis were recovered in the 5am raid at an address in Olympic Close

Police in Luton have arrested four people after a dawn raid as part of a crackdown on gun crime in the town. A handgun, ammunition and cannabis were recovered in the 5am raid at an address in Olympic Close and three men aged 19, 21 and 28 and a 19-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. All four are now being held at Luton Police Station for questioning. Leading the raid this morning, Det Chief Insp Irene Meehan, said: "Beds Police and the people of Bedfordshire will not tolerate gun crime. The success of this operation today is a credit to those members of the community who have shown bravery and given information that the police have been able to act upon. "I would encourage anyone with information about gun crime to either speak to the police or if they are not comfortable in doing this then they can contact Crimestoppers, completely anonymously, and be assured that all information received will be acted upon."