Police are reporting 10 murders in less than 12 hours

In less than 12 hours, police reported 10 murders in different regions of the island.

With these crimes, according to the uniformed person, homicides have risen to 26, which translates to 8 more cases at this date than last year.

The first incident took place yesterday afternoon during a police chase on the Baldorioty de Castro highway, near the Mundo Feliz condominium in Carolina, that culminated in the murder of three police officers.

According to authorities, two municipal officers and a state agent died in hospital after sustaining several gunshot wounds while chasing the occupants of a white 2003 Hyundai Accent, who opened fire on them.

The officers were identified as Luis Marrero Díaz, of the State Police, and Eliezer Hernández Cartagena and Luis Salamán Conde, of the Carolina Municipal Police. For this case, the Justice Department has appointed seven prosecutors to investigate the circumstances of the events.

A second case of violent death was reported at 4:52 PM at the Antiguo Chaneliz metal bridge, in the Pueblo neighborhood of Saint Sebastian.

Authorities say a phone call was alerted from a body lying on the sidewalk and upon arrival, officers found a man shot in the back of the head. The deceased, who has not been identified, was described as having a dark complexion.

At approximately 6:20 PM, another murder was reported on the grounds of an abandoned structure located off the PR-586 motorway in the Guayacanes sector, in the Río Cañas Arriba district in Juana Diaz.

According to the news report, a phone call alerted a suspect in the aforementioned abandoned structure and when the Officers arrived at the scene and found a charred body in an advanced state of decomposition, so it was not possible to identify it.

In the fourth incident, one person was shot and two other gunshot wounds in events that took place around 7 p.m. on Osvaldo Molina Avenue in Fajardo.

The police explained that Javier Eduardo Maldonado Rivera, 30, resident of FajardoHe was driving the gray Mitsubishi Mirage vehicle along the aforementioned road in the company of a woman and two minors when individuals shot them from a moving motor vehicle.

According to the police investigation, the shots reached him and his companion, for which they were transported to the Caribean Medical hospital in Fajardo, where the doctor on duty confirmed the death of Maldonado Rivera.

The uniformed officer received a complaint from another person who had been injured by a bullet in connection with these events. Meanwhile, the minors were unharmed.

The fifth incident was reported as a suspicious situation around 9:04 pm on Ruiseñor Street, located in the Country Club Urbanization in San Juan. When officers arrived on the scene, they came off the lifeless body José M. Roldan Rivera, 32 years old.

The deceased had multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of the body. At the moment the police do not know the motive for the events.

An hour later, a murder was reported on the PR-670 highway in the Palo Alto neighborhood Manatí.

A call to the 9-1-1 emergency system alerted the authorities to the facts and when the agents from the Manatí district arrived, they found a Chevrolet tow truck, blue, GP167 plate, and in it was the body of Natanael Cotto Hernández, 35 years old, with multiple bullet holes in different parts of the body.

A 49-year-old woman also received several gunshot wounds related to these events and was transported to a regional hospital for medical attention. Those affected are residents of Vega Baja.

A seventh murder was recorded on the Media Luna sector’s PR-854 highway at Hacienda Macarena in Toa Baja.

According to the news report, at 10:16 PM, a call to the 9-1-1 emergency system was warned of some explosions and upon arrival, officers found the body of a man with multiple gunshot wounds.

The deceased has not been identified by the authorities, but was described as white, 35 to 40 years old, black hair, about 5–8, weighing about 170 pounds, dressed in long jeans and a black polo shirt.

The eighth reported violent incident, resulting in the tenth death in less than 12 hours, occurred at around 1:59 a.m. on San José Street, intersection with Muñoz Rivera Avenue, in Santurce..

Police linked this scene to the murder of three police officers, as the body they found among garbage bags had “similar characteristics” to the officers’ alleged murderer. In addition, a poster was left with the body stating that this was the alleged killer of the troops.

The person, wearing gray shorts and a black shirt, had a tattoo on his right arm that read ‘Sofia’ and another on his right leg with the design of a caravel.

The police have asked for the cooperation of the population to clarify these crimes. If you know someone or have information that may be useful for the development of the studies, you can communicate confidentially at (787) 343-2020.