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The photographer

A reporter who witnessed the aftermath of a massive security raid in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept coming: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan described. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was found without a head - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he reported. Several bodies showed what he described as knife injuries.

More than 120 people were killed in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid in the city.

The photographer stated that he was first alerted to the raid Tuesday morning by local people from the Alemão area, who reached out informing him there was a shoot-out.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the bodies were being brought.

The photographer stated that law enforcement blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the operation was under way.

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

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the community, explained he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued through the night.

He described that Tuesday night, community members started looking the elevated terrain that separates the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Community members living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in a public space - the documented evidence reveal the reaction of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of it all impacted me deeply: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, weeping, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the region announced that the extensive law enforcement effort with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to preventing a gang called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Initially, local officials stated that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that their "preliminary" count shows that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has calculated the overall count of casualties at 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has been able to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

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

According to correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on criminal activity in the city for years, Red Command "works as a system" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and acting as "operational allies".

The gang concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, liquor smoking products.

According to the authorities, gang members have substantial firearms and police said that during the raid, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of Rio state, the political leader, characterized gang affiliates as drug terrorists and called the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials expressing they felt "appalled".

At a news conference the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He further explained that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The governor also said that the bodies presented by community members in the area had been "manipulated".

Through a message on online platforms, he asserted that some of them had been removed of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A law enforcement representative from the police department further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and weapons" were taken away from the victims and showed footage appearing to show a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse