Memorial for stabbed doctor in Brazil amid fresh violence

Dozens of cyclists Saturday gathered in Rio to pay homage to a doctor fatally stabbed on his bike, amid a spate of attacks in the city ahead of next year's Olympic Games.

The doctor, Jaime Gold, died in hospital after he was attacked near the popular Rodrigo de Freitas lake, close to the site that will host the Olympic rowing events.

Police later detained a 16-year-old suspect.

The priest presiding over Saturday's memorial, Cristovao Sopicki urged civilians to unite against violence.

Gold's death comes amid a wave of violence in Rio, where the Olympic Games will take place next August.

The past week has seen at least seven knife attacks, including three on Friday night.

One of the stabbings took place in the western suburb of Barra de Tijuca, which will host a cluster of Olympic events.

The renewed violence has prompted a debate on whether Brazil should reduce the age of criminality from 18 to 16.

Those in support of the move say juveniles are not deterred from committing violent crimes because they do not face harsh consequences.
Gold's murder came just weeks after a 19-year-old French cyclist was assaulted in the same district. The teen spent 15 days in hospital in intensive care but recovered.

On April 25, a 14-year-old was attacked and stabbed by four youths who stole his bicycle. This month, a Vietnamese tourist was stabbed and robbed in central Rio. Both survived the assaults.

Last December, British 2012 world champion sailors Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark were mugged at knife point after a practice session in the neighborhood.

City authorities have set up a committee to determine how police can best respond to the upsurge in urban violence.

Rio state secretary for security Jose Mariano Beltrame announced a shake-up in the district police chain of command after Gold's death, one of more than 40,000 homicides in the city over the past eight years.

Police have responded to the crime wave by deploying a 70-strong contingent to patrol the area on horseback, bicycles and foot.