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Bruno Itan

A reporter who witnessed the consequences of a large-scale law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has described how residents brought back badly injured victims of those who had died.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan stated. Among them were those of police officers.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him to the raid Tuesday morning by community members from the Alemão area, who contacted him informing him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness traveled to the healthcare center, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that law enforcement stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Police officers formed a line and announced: 'The press are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who spent his childhood in the community, explained he succeeded to enter past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He described during the night, local residents started looking the mountainous area that separates the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood organized the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence display the reaction of those present.

"The brutality of what occurred shook me profoundly: the pain of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, sobbing, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The official of the state stated that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 security personnel was intended to halting a gang referred to as Red Command from expanding its territory.

At first, the Rio state government stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives during the action.

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

The public legal service, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has calculated the total number of casualties at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group which in recent years has managed to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside a rival criminal group, with a background spanning over five decades.

Per Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio extensively, the criminal organization "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "operational allies".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking guns, precious metals, energy resources, liquor smoking products.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The state leader of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

But the number of people killed in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "horrified".

At a news conference the following day, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We intended to detain everyone safely," he said.

He further explained that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence from the gang members."

The state leader further reported that the casualties shown by residents in the area had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on online platforms, he said that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the casualties and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a man stripping military attire {off a corpse