Passenger says gunshots hit Olympic media bus
RIO DE JANIERO – A passenger said an Olympic media bus was hit by bullets on Tuesday night, shattering two windows as the bus returned from the women’s basketball venue in Deodoro. The Rio 2016 organizing committee released a statement that said the bus will be inspected by police but did not reference gunshots.
O Globo, the Rio daily newspaper, said passengers reported a noise that sounded like gunshots, but said authorities attributed the damage to rocks. The rocks cracked and shattered the windows, and a Turkish volunteer was slightly injured, O Globo reported. Reuters reported that two passengers suffered minor lacerations.
The incident took place in the neighborhood of Curicica, close to the main Olympic Park and media center. Rio 2016 officials said army and military police will be increased in the area after the incident.
Lee Michaelson, 64, of Port Hueneme, Calif., said she heard gunshots.
“Two shots,” said Michaelson, who works for HoopFeed.com. “It was very quick – pop, pop.”
Michaelson estimated the incident happened around 8:15 p.m. local time.
“The driver said, ‘Don’t worry. It’s a rock, it’s a rock.’
“There is no way that could have been a rock,” she said.
Michaelson said the bus pulled over and a police officer came aboard.
“The police came onto the bus, talked to the driver and went off the bus,” she said, after the bus had pulled into the media center. Two windows on the passenger side of the bus were blown out.
Another Brazilian newspaper, the Estadão, also had an employee on the bus. Its report said passengers believed the impact could have been from gunfire because the bus was traveling at high speed far from residences.
Michaelson said she has no doubt that the bus was shot at.
“Number one, I believe my ears,” Michaelson said. “As soon as I heard the shot – the report from the weapon – the instinct was flatten and tell everybody else to get down. Secondly, it’s not like rocks kick up from the side of the road.”
According to the statement from Rio 2016 officials, the bus driver heard a noise inside the bus that he thought was photography equipment falling. He looked in the rear-view mirror and saw passengers lying on the ground. He continued to drive until he saw a police car.
The driver then noticed that two windows were broken and the glass eventually gave way as he continued to drive, accompanied by a police escort.
Contributing: Taylor Barnes
Jeff Seidel is a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, part of the Paste BN NETWORK.