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The eyewitness

An eyewitness who observed the results of a large-scale security raid in the Brazilian city has recounted how residents came back with badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept coming: the count kept increasing", the photographer described. The total contained security forces.

One individual was found without a head - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he explained. Several bodies showed what appeared to be blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals were fatally injured during the security action against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted to the raid Tuesday morning by local people of the Alemão neighbourhood, who sent him messages informing him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter made his way to a local medical facility, where the victims were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from going into the operation zone, where the security measures were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and announced: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in that neighborhood, reported he succeeded to enter past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night.

He reported that Tuesday night, community members began to search the hillside that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who were unaccounted for since the police raid.

Community members living in Penha organized the recovered bodies in a square - the documented evidence reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation shook me deeply: the pain of the families, women collapsing, women carrying children, crying, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The official of the state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to preventing a gang referred to as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

Initially, the Rio state government maintained that sixty individuals and four police officers" were fatally injured in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations suggests that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has calculated the overall count of fatalities to be 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has been able to expand its territory across the region.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction in Brazil, in company with another major gang, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to reporter a specialist, who has been covering crime in Rio over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "operational allies".

The gang engages primarily in narcotics distribution, while also dealing in firearms, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol cigarettes.

According to the authorities, gang members are well armed and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults using drone-delivered explosives.

The governor of Rio state, the political leader, described Red Command members as drug terrorists and called the security forces who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities during the raid has faced scrutiny from international human rights authorities stating they were "shocked".

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

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We intended to arrest them all alive," he said.

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 shown by residents in the neighborhood were "altered".

Via a statement on online platforms, he asserted that some of them had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, protective equipment, and weapons" were taken away from the bodies and presented video apparently demonstrating a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse