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The photographer

A reporter who documented the results of a massive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has described how local people brought back mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept piling up: the numbers kept rising", the photographer described. Among them were security forces.

One of the bodies was found without a head - while others appeared "severely damaged", he reported. Several bodies showed what appeared to be knife injuries.

More than 120 people were fatally injured during the security action on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness reported that residents first notified him to the raid in the early hours by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer traveled to the healthcare center, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan explained that the police blocked media personnel from entering the affected area, where the operation were occurring.

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

However, the photographer, who spent his childhood in the area, explained he managed to gain access past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He explained that Tuesday night, community members began to search the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who had been missing following the security action.

Local people living in Penha proceeded to place the discovered victims in an open area - the documented evidence reveal the response of those present.

"The brutality of the situation affected me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, pregnant wives, weeping, outraged parents," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of Rio state declared that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 security personnel was aimed at preventing an illegal organization known as Red Command from expanding its territory.

Initially, the Rio state government claimed that sixty individuals and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, that gives legal support to low-income residents, has calculated the overall count of fatalities to be 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that recently has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Experts commonly view as a major illegal faction in Brazil, in company with a rival criminal group, and has a history extending half a century.

According to Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "operates like a franchise" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The gang engages primarily in illegal drug trade, but also smuggles weapons, gold, petroleum products, liquor and tobacco.

According to the authorities, organization members possess significant weaponry and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the political leader, labeled gang affiliates as criminal extremists and called the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as "heroes".

But the number of people killed during the raid has faced scrutiny with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "appalled".

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We aimed to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He continued that the events had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It was a consequence of the resistance they carried out and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The governor additionally stated that the bodies displayed by locals in the neighborhood had been "tampered with".

In a post through digital channels, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and arms" were taken away from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse