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The photographer

An eyewitness who witnessed the results of a large-scale law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how local people came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness reported. Among them were those of police officers.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - others were "totally disfigured", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured during the security action targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The photographer explained that residents first notified him about the operation in the early hours by residents living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were arriving.

The eyewitness reported that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the affected area, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He explained that evening, community members commenced searching the mountainous area that separates Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area organized the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos display the reaction of the people there.

"The brutality of it all affected me profoundly: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, expectant spouses, sobbing, furious relatives," the reporter recounted.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 security personnel was intended to halting a criminal group called Red Command from increasing their control.

At first, local officials maintained that "60 suspects along with four officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations shows that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the overall count of fatalities to be 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has managed to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, together with First Capital Command, and has a history dating back more than 50 years.

Based on reporter an expert, who has long reported on crime in Rio for years, Red Command "functions as a network" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "operational allies".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles firearms, valuable minerals, energy resources, beverages cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, gang members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of Rio state, the government representative, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and described the four police officers killed in the raid as "heroes".

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from UN human rights officials stating they were "horrified".

During a press briefing the following day, the state leader defended the police force.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We intended to arrest them all alive," he said.

He added that the events intensified because the suspects fought back: "It occurred of the retaliation they carried out and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The official also said that the victims presented by community members in the area were "altered".

Through a message on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces further reported that military attire, vests, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a man stripping military attire {off a corpse