Just to clear it up a bit, these are three different operations in three different states with three different intents and even different targets. While sad, the framing makes it seem like it was all one big coordinated effort by the "Brazilian Police," which is actually divided in command on a state level (and are very independent from the government). For the Yankees, it'd be like reporting people killed in USA police operations in California and New York in a single breath. This is a common trick of Gringo news to make it seem like third world countries are more dangerous than they actually are, coupled with only reporting on them when tragedies happen.
The operation in Guarujá was criticised by Brazil's Justice Minister Flavio Dino, who said the police's reaction was not proportional to the crime committed.
I am curious, what would have been a proportional respond to a police officer being killed then? Let them get away without anything?
As tragic as any life loss is, I am not sure what other outcome could be expected from going after traffickers that are killing officers
Knockout gas? Tranquilizer darts? Anything that’s not a kill shot. These people were killed by the state without due process. Obviously killing anyone (a cop or otherwise) is bad and wrong, and should be punished after a fair trial. But spraying bullets, killing a total of 43 people in three separate raids, is indiscriminate and disproportionate, and does not represent a just outcome for anyone involved.
I don’t want to defend police violence, but knockout gas and tranquilizer darts are more of a Hollywood trope than actual viable method of subduing combatants.
None of those are realistic options. Gas has to be administered by an anesthesiologist to be effective (else you get this), tranquilizers also have to be dosed and probably aren't very effective on an armored target behind cover, and there's no way to shoot someone just to wound like in the movies, since even a shot to the leg could sever the femoral artery and cause someone to bleed to death very quickly.
I agree that this was probably disproportionate, but I'm not sure what other option there is in the short term when the target is an armed and fortified paramilitary force.