🔗 Share this article The victims kept arriving - eyewitness describes deadly Rio law enforcement operation The eyewitness Dozens of bodies were displayed in a square in the Rio neighborhood in the wake of the deadliest police raid in the city's history A reporter who observed the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has recounted how local people returned with badly injured victims of people who lost their lives. The victims "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness reported. The total contained those of police officers. One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be stab wounds. In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action in the city. Over 100 individuals were arrested in connection with the security raid Bruno Itan stated that he was first alerted about the operation Tuesday morning by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out informing him there was a shoot-out. The reporter went to the healthcare center, where the bodies were coming in. The eyewitness reported that law enforcement blocked media personnel from entering the operation zone, where the police action was under way. "Police officers established a perimeter and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'." However, the photographer, who was raised in the area, explained he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning. He explained that Tuesday night, local residents started looking the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing since the police raid. Residents living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in an open area - the documented evidence display the emotions of the people there. "The harsh reality of the situation affected me a lot: the sorrow of the families, women collapsing, expectant spouses, crying, angry family members," the photographer recalled. The eyewitness There was trauma in Penha as community members recovered more and more bodies from the surrounding area The state leader of the region announced that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to stopping a criminal group called Red Command from increasing their control. Initially, local officials maintained that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the operation. Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count indicates 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 fatalities at 132. According to researchers, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that in the past few years has been able to make territorial gains across the region. It is generally regarded as a major illegal faction in the country, together with another major gang, with a background dating back more than 50 years. Per reporter Rafael Soares, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners". The organization concentrates largely on drug trafficking, while also dealing in weapons, gold, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco. According to the authorities, organization members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they came under attack using drone-delivered explosives. The official of Rio state, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and called the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as "heroes". But the number of people killed in the security action has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked". In a media appearance the next day, the state leader justified security actions. "It wasn't our intention to kill anyone. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he stated. He continued that the situation had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It occurred of the counterattack they executed and the disproportionate use of force from the gang members." The governor also said that the victims presented by community members in Penha were "altered". In a post through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been stripped of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to redirect responsibility onto the police". A law enforcement representative from the police department also said that tactical gear, protective equipment, and arms" were stripped from the bodies and showed footage appearing to show a man stripping military attire {off a corpse