‘They came to kill’: Rio residents condemn bloody Brazilian police operation leaving over 130 dead - Video

Locals say the raid, carried out under the pretext of tackling organised crime, quickly escalated into what they describe as a “massacre.” Grieving families and witnesses told Viory that many of the victims were unarmed and had already surrendered before being fatally shot. 

“It was a massacre with several premeditated killings, those where there is intent to kill,” said Alex Castro, a resident of the community. “Mothers have lost their children, wives their husbands, and children their parents. The only thing we ask for is peace.”

Neusa, another resident, expressed frustration at the state’s repeated use of violence while failing to invest in long-term solutions. “The State knows how to make us cry, because we are mothers. But the State doesn’t come with projects,” she said. “Everything that happened today should not have happened,” she said.

The community is still reeling, with reports that several bodies remain in the forested areas surrounding the favela. Residents have taken it upon themselves to organise searches, with some travelling by motorcycle deep into the woods to recover the dead.

Claudia, who witnessed one of the killings, described how a man who had already surrendered was executed. “He said, ‘I surrender.’ That’s what he did. And they shot him anyway,” she said. “Not even criminals should be killed. This shouldn’t be happening in our favela.” 

The operation has once again put Brazil’s militarised policing strategies under scrutiny, especially in poor, predominantly Black communities that say they are treated as enemy territory.

“They want to end violence in the favela, but who robs more?” asked resident Adailton. “They rob more than we, the poor. They even want to cancel our 13th salary, but instead of filtering their own thefts, they come to oppress us.”

So far, authorities have not released an official death toll or detailed account of the operation.