MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Total deaths in Rio favela police raid reach 28

Thursday's raid was to put an end to “the routine of terror and humiliation that the traffic imposed on residents,” Governor Castro explained.

Rio de Janeiro Governor Cláudio Castro Friday stood by the police's actions in Jacarezinho, claiming that the suspects' response had been “brutal.”

An anti-drug raid in the Jacarezinho area Thursday ended up with 24 suspects downed by police fire and one law enforcement agent later who also died of his wounds. The number of total deaths was updated early Friday to 28, it was reported.

The operation was considered the most lethal in the history of Rio de Janeiro.

Castro insisted that “the state government is most interested in investigating the circumstances of the facts,” because “it must be made clear that yesterday's operation carried out by the Civil Police was the faithful fulfilment of dozens of arrest warrants. It was 10 months of investigative work that revealed the routine of terror and humiliation that the traffic imposed on residents. Children were enticed and co-opted for the crime. Entire families were driven out of their homes and killed.”

The governor said he had discussed Thursday's actions with Attorney General Luciano Mattos, Federal Supreme Court (STF) Justice Edson Fachin, and with the public defender, Rodrigo Pacheco.

“The reaction of the bandits was the most brutal recorded in recent times. Weapons of war, ready to repel the action of the state and avoid arrests at any cost. Nowhere in the world are the police received with rifles and grenades when they are going to do their job. Since the event, I have determined total transparency to the process,” Castro said.

Meanwhile, during the burial of fallen Inspector André Frias, Civil Police Secretary Allan Turnowski, praised the agents for their actions in Jacarezinho and said that according to intelligence information all of the 27 suspects who died were ”soldiers“ of the drug trade, acting as the armed wing of the criminal organization in Jacarezinho. Three of them were denounced by the Prosecutor's Office for drug trafficking and were among the police's most wanted.

“What the civil police showed yesterday was technical, it was maturity, it was professionalism, to show society that the drug dealer who invaded the resident's house, he is the enemy of all society,” Turnowski said. “It was not in vain, André, it was not in vain,” he concluded.