The bodies just kept coming - photographer recounts lethal Rio police raid

The photographer

A photographer who observed the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has described how residents came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan reported. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he reported. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The photographer reported that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who reached out informing him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement stopped members of the press from going into the operation zone, where the security measures were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and said: 'The press doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who was raised in the community, explained he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained through the night.

He explained during the night, area inhabitants started looking the mountainous area which divides the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for family members who had been missing since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area proceeded to place the discovered victims in a public space - the documented evidence display the reaction of those present.

"The brutality of what occurred affected me deeply: the grief of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, weeping, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the state declared that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was designed to stopping a gang known as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

Initially, state authorities maintained that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" had been killed in the raid.

They have since said that early calculations shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the total number of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has succeeded to make territorial gains throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, in company with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in illegal drug trade, while also dealing in guns, gold, energy resources, alcohol cigarettes.

According to the authorities, gang members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the region, the political leader, characterized gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers who died during the operation as courageous individuals.

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "horrified".

During a press briefing the following day, the official defended the police force.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He continued that the situation worsened due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It occurred of the retaliation they implemented and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The state leader additionally stated that the casualties displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on online platforms, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force further reported that military attire, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse