The victims kept arriving - reporter shares lethal Rio law enforcement operation

The photographer

A photographer who observed the results of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has reported how residents brought back disfigured remains of those who had died.

The bodies "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the photographer stated. The total contained security forces.

One individual was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he explained. Several bodies showed what appeared to be knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him concerning the action early on Tuesday by community members living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The reporter made his way to a local medical facility, where the casualties were arriving.

The photographer stated that law enforcement blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the security measures was under way.

"Security forces formed a line and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, stated he managed to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until the next morning.

He described that evening, local residents began to search the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown following the security action.

Residents living in Penha proceeded to place the discovered victims in an open area - and Itan's photos show the emotions of those present.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me a lot: the sorrow of relatives, mothers fainting, women carrying children, sobbing, outraged parents," the reporter recounted.

The photographer

The state leader of the state announced that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to preventing an illegal organization called Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory.

Originally, state authorities maintained that "60 suspects and four police officers" were fatally injured in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 "suspects" lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has put the overall count of people killed at 132.

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

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction nationally, in company with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to reporter Rafael Soares, who has been covering criminal activity in the city for years, the gang "functions as a network" with area gang leaders joining the organization and acting as "operational allies".

The gang focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking weapons, valuable minerals, fuel, beverages smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members are well armed and police said that during the raid, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the state, the political leader, characterized organization participants as criminal extremists and referred to the security forces who died during the operation as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities in the operation has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities stating they were "appalled".

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

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the events worsened as the individuals fought back: "It occurred of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The state leader also said that the victims shown by residents in Penha were "altered".

Via a statement on social media, he asserted that particular individuals had been stripped of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility onto the police".

Felipe Curi representing security forces additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and firearms" were stripped from the victims and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse