Five shot dead in new Sao Paulo multiple killing

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Feb 25 (Reuters) Police today found the bodies of four men and a woman shot to death in a slum on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, the weekend's second multiple killing in Brazil's biggest metropolitan area.

Police said the execution-style shooting in Favela Kennedy shanty town in the municipality of Maua occurred just after dawn today. Four bodies were found in the street and one in a home very close to the scene.

Agencia Estado news agency said investigators suspected a settlement of differences between criminal gangs.

Yesterday, gunmen shot and killed two young couples, including a pregnant 15-year-old girl, in a working class district of Vila Alabama in Sao Paulo. The victims were aged between 15 and 20 and had no criminal records.

Today's was the fifth multiple killing in Sao Paulo since the start of the year. The shootings have claimed at least 19 lives, including six youngsters killed in one case on February 2, and have put Sao Paulo in the spotlight.

Rio de Janeiro, a popular tourism destination, normally grabs Brazilian headlines with its rampant crime.

REUTERS SBA RN0147