Hitman shoots dead 23-year-old minibus driver in San Juan de Lurigancho
A hitman disguised as a passenger fired three shots at Santiago Rodríguez Hinostroza on Av. Central. Transport workers on the route have suspended services due to extortion.
CCTV captures execution of young driver in Canto Grande; transport workers halt services over extortion
Security cameras recorded on Tuesday 13 May, at approximately 7:50 p.m., the exact moment when a suspected hitman shot dead Santiago Rodríguez Hinostroza, a 23-year-old minibus driver, on block 15 of Avenida Central in the San Juan de Lurigancho district, according to a report by willax.pe.
The attacker descended from a blue minivan, approached the passenger-side window and fired up to three point-blank shots at Rodríguez Hinostroza, who was working his regular route between Mercado 10 de Canto Grande and Jicamarca. The attacker was wearing a wine-coloured jumper, dark shirt, white cap and was carrying a backpack.
After the shots, the suspect fled on foot through an adjacent passageway. A second video recording made it possible to reconstruct his escape route to the intersection of Calles Los Abogados and Cirujanos, where a accomplice who had arrived minutes earlier by bicycle was waiting for him.
The footage shows how both individuals met briefly and exchanged the weapon used in the attack. Next, the hitman abandoned his backpack, got on the bicycle and fled at high speed down Calle Cirujanos, whilst the second man walked away from the scene.
Rodríguez Hinostroza's family members and colleagues immediately assisted him and took him to Hospital 10 de Canto Grande, where medical staff confirmed his death as a consequence of the severity of his gunshot wounds.
Transport workers report three extortion rackets operating on the route
The crime sparked outrage amongst the informal transport workers' union in the sector. The drivers publicly denounced that at least three criminal organisations engaged in protection-money collection operate in the area and demand daily payments in exchange for allowing them to work on the Canto Grande–Jicamarca route.
As a measure of protest, the minibus drivers announced a temporary suspension of their activities, with the aim of demanding security guarantees from the authorities and raising visibility of the risk situation in which they work daily.
The homicide also caused alarm among residents and regular passengers on the route. "It is very sad living in Peru because there are no defences anymore. We can't complain to anyone because the justice system itself is being bought, people are killed every day," declared one witness to Exitosa.
The National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office are analysing the security camera footage to identify and capture the two suspects involved. The suspension of the minibus service exposes, according to transport workers and residents, the serious citizen security crisis facing San Juan de Lurigancho.
Source: Google News PR — San Juan