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Bruno Itan

A photographer who documented the consequences of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has reported how residents brought back badly injured victims of those who had died.

The casualties "kept coming: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan described. They included law enforcement personnel.

One individual had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he reported. Numerous victims displayed evidence of knife injuries.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan reported that he initially learned concerning the action Tuesday morning by residents living in Alemão, who sent him messages alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness traveled to a local medical facility, where the bodies were being brought.

Itan explained that security forces stopped members of the press from accessing the operation zone, where the operation was under way.

"Police officers formed a line and declared: 'Journalists cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, explained he was able to gain access into the cordoned-off area, where he continued through the night.

He explained that evening, community members began to search the elevated terrain that borders the community of Penha and the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who had been missing following the security action.

Local people of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the recovered bodies in a square - and Itan's photos reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of the situation affected me a lot: the sorrow of loved ones, mothers fainting, pregnant wives, crying, furious relatives," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The official of the state declared that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 law enforcement members was intended to preventing a criminal group known as the criminal faction from expanding its territory.

Originally, state authorities claimed that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" lost their lives in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations shows that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to the poor, has calculated the overall count of casualties as 132.

Per investigative findings, Red Command represents the unique criminal entity that recently has managed to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

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

According to Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders forming part of the gang and becoming "commercial associates".

The gang focuses mainly on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members have substantial firearms and officials reported that during the raid, they faced assaults from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, the government representative, labeled organization participants as drug terrorists and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

But the number of casualties during the raid has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

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

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He further explained that the circumstances worsened due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they carried out and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The official further reported that the victims displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on online platforms, he said that particular individuals had been stripped of military-style attire which he claimed they wore "in order to shift blame toward law enforcement".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that military attire, body armor, and arms" were taken away from the bodies and presented video appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse