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The photographer

A reporter who observed the consequences of a large-scale law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents brought back mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", the eyewitness reported. Among them were those of police officers.

A particular victim was found without a head - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed what he described as knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during the security action against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him about the operation in the early hours by residents living in Alemão, who sent him messages informing him gunfire had erupted.

The photographer made his way to the healthcare center, where the casualties were coming in.

The eyewitness reported that law enforcement prevented journalists from entering the Penha neighborhood, where the police action were occurring.

"Police officers established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in that neighborhood, explained he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed through the night.

He described during the night, community members began to search the mountainous area which divides the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood proceeded to place the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images reveal the reaction of those present.

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

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the region announced that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from increasing their control.

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

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 "suspects" were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has put the total number of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, Red Command stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has managed to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, together with another major gang, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

Per reporter a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the gang "operates like a franchise" with local criminal leaders joining the organization and becoming "business partners".

The organization focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, but also smuggles guns, precious metals, energy resources, beverages cigarettes.

Based on official reports, criminal affiliates are well armed and police said that throughout the operation, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The official of the state, Cláudio Castro, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of casualties in the operation has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "shocked".

In a media appearance the following day, the state leader defended the police force.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We wanted to take suspects into custody without harm," he declared.

He added that the situation worsened because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they implemented and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The governor additionally stated that the victims presented by community members in the neighborhood were "altered".

Through a message through digital channels, he asserted that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A police official of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and firearms" were taken away from the casualties and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse