RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian authorities denied on Friday there were any problems with Olympic security arrangements despite the death of a military police officer who was shot when his vehicle took a wrong turn into a slum controlled by drug traffickers.
The death of 35-year-old Helio Vieira, an officer from northern Brazil deployed to Rio de Janeiro as part of heightened security for the Games, followed a series of incidents that have raised concern over security in the crime-riddled city.
Tourists and competitors have been robbed, a media bus has been stoned and two stray bullets have been found in the equestrian centre - one of them landing a few feet from a journalist in the media tent.
General Sergio Etchegoyen, Brazil's Minister of the Secretariat for Institutional Security, said some incidents were to be expected in a city the size of Rio, which groups some 12 million in its metropolitan area.
"I can guarantee that Rio de Janeiro is a lot safer now than it normally is," the general told reporters. "There are no adjustments and changes to be done. There are no problems."
Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said in a statement that interim President Michel Temer had declared a day of national mourning following the death of the military policeman "in consideration for the high level of excellence and the importance of the work carried out by those dedicated to guaranteeing the security of the Olympic Games".
The attack on the media bus on Tuesday, which took place just north of the Olympic Park, raised alarm after witnesses initially reported hearing the sound of gunfire before windows on the bus shattered. Two people were lightly wounded by flying glass.
A report into the attack by Rio's civil police, made public on Friday, said criminal investigators found "there were no impacts that would be compatible with the use of firearms".