"Black Mouth" shot dead in Samaná; police operations bring death toll to eight in Dominican Republic
Hansel "Black Mouth", sought for shooting two DICRIM agents, died in a confrontation in Samaná. Recent operations have raised the death toll to eight across the country.
"Black Mouth" shot dead in Samaná following week of operations with multiple casualties
Hansel "Black Mouth", identified as the suspected perpetrator of shooting two National Police officers, died on Friday during a confrontation with police members in Samaná, according to eldia.com.do. Authorities stated that the man was hidden in a building in the Honduras sector when he was located.
Police confirmed that "Black Mouth" had been sought since the previous Sunday, after corporal William Antonio Jesús Heredia and major Andrés Pascual, both attached to DICRIM, were wounded. Pascual was shot in the head during the pursuit of the suspect. In Friday's operation, a Glock pistol was seized.
A week of operations across various points in the country
On Thursday and Friday, police reported several deaths in alleged gunfire exchanges at different points across the country, including Los Alcarrizos, Cabral, Gaspar Hernández and Santo Domingo. With the death of "Black Mouth", the count of deaths in recent operations rises to eight.
One of the central episodes of this period dates back to 12 September, when a shootout in Los Coquitos, Boca Chica, left two dead: the urban performer known as Diddy Glow—whose name was Jesús Alexis Delgado Ortiz—and Jonathan Villanueva, alias "Cotuí". Five other people were wounded in that incident.
In the following days, police reported the death of four men linked, according to authorities, to investigations stemming from that attack. The deceased were identified as Michael Junior Rodríguez Peguero, alias "Michael Peluche"; a man known as "Enger"; Wender Alcántara, alias "The Godfather" or "Death"; and Deivi Rosado Durán, alias "The Fat One" or "The Ghost of Guindo".
A case without a lethal outcome: suspect detained and remanded in custody
Not all recent cases concluded in armed confrontations. On 22 September, a court imposed three months' remand in custody on Jhonny González, accused by the Public Ministry of attempted murder to commit aggravated robbery against Gustavo Adolfo III Mejía-Ricart Risk, aged 23, attacked with a sharp weapon in the Serrallés sector.
According to the investigation, González allegedly pursued the young man to the lobby of the tower where he resided, where he allegedly wounded him several times with a knife. The identification of the suspect was made possible through security camera tracking.
The accused was sent to Najayo Hombres while the judicial process continues. The victim had been discharged from hospital days earlier and was recovering. The young man's father, Gustavo Mejía-Ricart, publicly stated that the attack was "a random robbery" and rejected other versions of the motive.
Pending: official version of the confrontation in Samaná
The contrast between the episodes of recent weeks reflects different outcomes within criminal investigations: in several cases, the people being sought died during alleged gunfire exchanges; in others, such as the attack on Mejía-Ricart, the suspect was arrested and brought before justice.
With the death of "Black Mouth", police have yet to officially clarify the circumstances of the confrontation recorded in Samaná and update the total count of deaths in their September operations. The institutional version of each death must be contrasted with investigations and evidence that will determine how events occurred.
Source: Google News CL — Santiago