The bodies just kept coming - reporter shares lethal Rio police raid

Bruno Itan

A reporter who documented the aftermath of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how residents returned with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness stated. Among them were those of police officers.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he said. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that he initially learned concerning the action in the early hours by community members from the Alemão area, who sent him messages informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer made his way to the healthcare center, where the bodies were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that the police prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who grew up in the area, reported he succeeded to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he remained until the next morning.

He explained that Tuesday night, local residents started looking the hillside that borders the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who had been missing since the police raid.

Residents living in Penha organized the recovered bodies in an open area - the photographer's images show the response of those present.

"The violence of it all shook me a lot: the pain of loved ones, women collapsing, women carrying children, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The official of Rio state stated that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 security personnel was aimed at preventing a gang referred to as Red Command from growing their influence.

Initially, state authorities claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

They have since said that their "preliminary" count indicates that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has estimated the overall count of people killed at 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that recently has been able to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Based on correspondent Rafael Soares, who has been covering criminal activity in the city extensively, the gang "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "business partners".

The organization concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, fuel, liquor smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members possess significant weaponry and police said that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of Rio state, the political leader, described organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

But the number of casualties in the security action has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities saying it was "appalled".

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

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the situation intensified because the suspects fought back: "It occurred of the resistance they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The official also said that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "manipulated".

Through a message on online platforms, he said that certain victims had been stripped of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A police official from the police department also said that military attire, body armor, and weapons" were stripped from the casualties and showed footage appearing to show a man stripping military attire {off a corpse