Rio De Janeiro (Brazil): A 67-year-old Brazilian grandmother who shot and wounded a bag-snatcher in Rio de Janeiro will get a medal from the crime-ridden city's legislators even though she faces trial for illegal gun possession.
A spokeswoman for the municipal legislative chamber said on Wednesday deputies had voted unanimously to award pensioner Maria Dora dos Santos Arbex with the Pedro Ernesto Merit medal, for exceptional service to the city of Rio de Janeiro.
On October 8, the retired nurse was walking her poodle in the middle-class neighborhood of Flamengo when a thief tried to take her cell phone and purse.
Dos Santos Arbex, who said it was the fourth such assault she had faced, took out a .38 calibre revolver and shot the thief in the hand. The man tried to flee but was caught by police, who also charged her with illegal gun possession.
She has been released on parole but is awaiting trial. Her case has caused a barrage of criticism against the authorities for doing nothing to contain street crime.
Police argue the award sets a bad example, especially since the gun had not been legally registered.
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