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Bruno Itan

A photographer who documented the aftermath of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has reported how residents brought back mutilated bodies of those who had died.

The bodies "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan stated. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

One individual was found without a head - others were "totally disfigured", he said. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be stab wounds.

More than 120 people lost their lives during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness explained that he initially learned to the raid Tuesday morning by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were being brought.

The eyewitness reported that security forces blocked media personnel from entering the operation zone, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued until the next morning.

He explained that evening, area inhabitants began to search the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area proceeded to place the discovered victims in a public space - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of the people there.

"The harsh reality of what occurred impacted me a lot: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state declared that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to halting a criminal group referred to as Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

Initially, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" lost their lives in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the total number of fatalities as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that recently has managed to make territorial gains across the region.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in Brazil, in company with a rival criminal group, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

According to reporter Rafael Soares, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city for years, Red Command "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses forming part of the gang and acting as "operational allies".

The organization engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking guns, valuable minerals, fuel, beverages and tobacco.

Based on official reports, organization members have substantial firearms and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, labeled Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the four police officers killed in the raid as brave public servants.

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "horrified".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We intended to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He further explained that the circumstances worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the resistance they carried out and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader also said that the casualties presented by community members in the area had been "manipulated".

Via a statement through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that military attire, vests, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and showed footage seemingly depicting an individual cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse