Last week, 24-year-old Kathlen Romeu was shot and killed in a Rio de Janeiro favela. City authorities say she was struck in the torso by a stray bullet during confrontations between the police and drug gangs. She was pregnant with her first child and died on her way to hospital. The police have denied any responsibility for the deaths of Ms. Romeu and her baby, and they have opened three separate investigations related to their murders.
Ms. Romeu is just the latest victim of police violence targeting Brazil’s favela residents. According to public security data portal Fogo Cruzado,...