Rio officials' explanation for the two stray bullets that hit near the equestrian site was hardly reassuring
Two stray bullets, fired on different days, have landed at the equestrian site, one near the media tent, another near the stables.
Rio officials said that ballistics reports showed that the Olympic venues were not the target. However, the explanation of the two separate shootings were hardly reassuring (emphasis ours).
"The first bullet that was found in the press room, according to the forensic report, was aiming at a blimp that was stationed over one of the communities," Rio spokesman Mario Andrada said (via Yahoo). "The first bullet was found to be coming from 2km away from Deodoro and fell into the tent at a low speed, in an angle that confirms that the [media center] was not the target."
And the second bullet, that landed near the stables?
"Yesterday morning, the police did an operation in that particular favela," Andrada said. "When they arrived, shots were fired at the police. Security forces said one of the bullets that was shot ended up very, very close to the stables, arriving there at an angle and a speed that could not be it was aimed at the stables."
Andrada said that an arrest of a man with a rifle was made, but it hasn't been confirmed that the stray bullet came from his particular rifle.
Luckily, nobody was hurt in either incident, but these aren't necessarily reassuring updates. The Olympic site, which is nearby crime-ridden favelas called Chapadão and Pedreira, was struck by two bullets because of a shootout in one favela and a person shooting at an over-heard blimp.
It's impossible for security to control everything, but it's alarming nonetheless that stray bullets are landing in Olympic sites because of unrelated incidents.