Rua Tonelero gained historical significance due to the
Rua Tonelero shooting, which took place on 5 August 1954, at 12:30 AM, at number 180 of the street. In an attempt to assassinate publishing executive and politician
Carlos Lacerda, perpetrator,
Alcino João do Nascimento, fatally shot his bodyguard,
Major Rubens Vaz, wounded security guard, Sálvio Romeiro, and injured Lacerda with a shot in the foot. A member of the
National Democratic Union, Lacerda was one of the key political adversaries of
President Vargas, who had previously ruled as a dictator from 1930 to 1945, and mounted a strong opposition campaign against the president through his newspaper,
Tribuna da Imprensa. The Tonelero shooting escalated the political crisis that led to calls for Vargas to resign, and which culminated in his suicide by gunshot on 24 August 1954. ==Gallery==