Rio’s bloodiest day: the untold story of Brazil’s most deadly police raid

Rio’s Bloodiest Day is an impressively detailed report by The Guardian that reconstructs a 17-hour police operation in Rio de Janeiro’s Complexo da Penha that left 122 people dead, including five officers, raising questions about the legality and proportionality of lethal force against Rio’s gangs. Through interviews with dozens of residents, police commanders, lawyers, and bereaved families, the report traces how a warrant-based operation targeting the Red Command gang escalated into a sprawling urban battle across favela streets.