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Bruno Itan

A reporter who observed the results of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has recounted how community members came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan reported. They included those of police officers.

One individual had been decapitated - others were "severely damaged", he said. Many also had what he described as blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the most lethal operation in the city.

Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter traveled to a local medical facility, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that the police prevented journalists from accessing the affected area, where the operation were occurring.

"Police officers created a barrier and said: 'Journalists are not allowed to pass'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who grew up in the area, stated he succeeded to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued until dawn.

He reported that Tuesday night, area inhabitants commenced searching the hillside which divides the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images reveal the emotions of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all shook me deeply: the pain of the families, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, weeping, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of Rio state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at preventing a gang called the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Initially, state authorities claimed that "60 suspects along with four officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates suggests that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

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

Based on expert analysis, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has been able to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in Brazil, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

Based on correspondent an expert, who has long reported on illegal operations in Rio for years, the gang "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and acting as "operational allies".

The organization focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in guns, precious metals, fuel, liquor smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members are well armed and police said that while the action was underway, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of the state, the government representative, described gang affiliates as "narcoterrorists" and described the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

But the number of fatalities in the security action has received condemnation from international human rights authorities expressing they felt "shocked".

At a news conference the next day, the state leader justified security actions.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he stated.

He continued that the circumstances worsened because the suspects had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they implemented and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members."

The official further reported that the victims displayed by locals in Penha had been "tampered with".

Through a message through digital channels, he claimed that particular individuals had been taken of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and weapons" had been removed from the victims and showed footage apparently demonstrating a person stripping military attire {off a corpse