🔗 Share this article The bodies just kept coming - reporter shares fatal Rio police raid Bruno Itan Dozens of bodies were displayed in a square in northern Rio after the most lethal operation the municipality has experienced A photographer who documented the consequences of a large-scale security raid in the Brazilian city has recounted how local people returned with badly injured victims of those who had died. The victims "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", Bruno Itan described. They included security forces. A particular victim was found without a head - others were "totally disfigured", he reported. Many also had what he described as stab wounds. In excess of 120 victims were killed during Tuesday's raid on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced. Over 100 individuals were detained as part of the security raid The photographer stated that he initially learned about the operation in the early hours by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out. The reporter traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were coming in. Itan explained that law enforcement blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the police action were occurring. "Police officers created a barrier and declared: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'." However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in the community, reported he was able to enter past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night. He explained that Tuesday night, community members began to search the elevated terrain that separates the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid. Community members from the Penha area organized the located casualties in an open area - the documented evidence reveal the response of the people there. "The harsh reality of it all impacted me deeply: the grief of the families, parents losing consciousness, expectant spouses, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled. The eyewitness There was disbelief in the neighborhood as residents retrieved additional victims from the adjacent terrain The governor of the state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 security personnel was aimed at preventing a criminal group known as Comando Vermelho from expanding its territory. At first, state authorities claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed during the action. Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured. Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the final tally of casualties as 132. According to researchers, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has been able to make territorial gains in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Experts commonly view one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside another major gang, featuring a timeline extending half a century. According to reporter an expert, who has been covering crime in Rio extensively, the gang "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "commercial associates". The criminal group focuses mainly on drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, precious metals, energy resources, liquor smoking products. Per law enforcement statements, gang members are well armed and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones. The official of the region, the government representative, labeled gang affiliates as drug terrorists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as brave public servants. But the number of people killed in the security action has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials stating they were "appalled". At a news conference the following day, the official supported law enforcement. "It wasn't our intention to cause fatalities. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he stated. He further explained that the circumstances intensified due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response from the gang members." The official further reported that the victims shown by residents in the area were "altered". Via a statement on social media, he claimed that particular individuals had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame onto the police". A law enforcement representative from the police department further reported that tactical gear, body armor, and arms" were stripped from the victims and showed footage appearing to show a person cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse