The casualties continued piling up - eyewitness describes lethal Rio law enforcement operation

Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who documented the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in the Brazilian city has reported how community members brought back badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The victims "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness stated. The total contained law enforcement personnel.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he said. Several bodies showed what he described as stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were killed during the security action against a criminal group - the bloodiest action in the city.

The photographer reported that he initially learned about the operation Tuesday morning by residents living in Alemão, who reached out alerting 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 prevented journalists from going into the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were occurring.

"Security forces formed a line and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he succeeded to gain access into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that evening, area inhabitants started looking the elevated terrain which divides the community of Penha and the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Local people from the Penha area organized the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of those present.

"The violence of the situation impacted me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, pregnant wives, sobbing, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The official of the region announced that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 officers was designed to halting an illegal organization known as Red Command from growing their influence.

At first, state authorities stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" were fatally injured during the action.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has estimated the total number of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that recently has managed to increase its control across the region.

Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside First Capital Command, with a background extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "commercial associates".

The organization engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking weapons, precious metals, fuel, liquor smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the region, Cláudio Castro, labeled organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and called the four police officers killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

However, the count of fatalities in the operation has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "appalled".

At a news conference on Wednesday, the official supported law enforcement.

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

He added that the situation intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the resistance they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The governor additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that some of them had been taken of the camouflage clothing which he claimed they wore "to redirect responsibility toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and showed footage apparently demonstrating an individual stripping military attire {off a corpse