An operation by the Special Police Operations Battalion and the Federal Highway Police left at least 22 dead and seven injured in Vila Cruzeiro, one of the favelas in Complexo da Penha, in the north of Rio.
According to the police, only one victim, a 41-year-old resident, was not linked to drug trafficking.
This is the third deadliest operation in recent history in Greater Rio and comes about a year after the massacre in Jacarezinho, in which 28 people were killed.
The justification given to the Public Ministry was to collect data on the alleged displacement of criminals from Vila Cruzeiro to Rocinha.
Agents said they had seized weapons, but there was no information about prisoners.
The Military Police blamed the Federal Supreme Court for alleged migration of criminals to Rio. In 2020, Minister Edson Fachin limited police actions in the state to exceptional cases during the pandemic. The court did not comment.
State and federal prosecutors opened independent investigations to investigate possible violations of rights. Entities and social movements in Vila Cruzeiro called for a ceasefire.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon