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.