Venezuelan shot dead in Plaza San Martín in front of his partner and daughter
A 21-year-old Venezuelan man was riddled with bullets in Plaza San Martín in Cercado de Lima on Thursday 14 August. His partner points to a narco gang as responsible.
Murder in Plaza San Martín: Venezuelan dies shot in front of his family
A 21-year-old Venezuelan man was shot dead in Plaza San Martín, in Cercado de Lima, at around 10:00 p.m. on Thursday 14 August, in the presence of his partner and his five-year-old daughter. This was reported by larepublica.pe, which collected direct testimony from the victim's companion.
The victim was identified as Jesús César Martínez Urbano. According to his partner, three men intercepted them near the intersection of Avenida Nicolás de Piérola with Jirón Carabaya. The attackers first stabbed him and then opened fire whilst the family tried to move away. "I heard five shots. Then they walked away," the woman recounted.
A police officer and other people attempted to help Martínez and rushed him to Hospital Dos de Mayo, where he died minutes later due to the severity of his injuries.
Prior threats and pressure to sell drugs
Martínez's partner claims that the attack was not spontaneous. According to her testimony, the attackers had been pressuring the young man for several months to join a gang dedicated to selling drugs in Plaza San Martín, led by a man nicknamed "Lucho" and accompanied by two others identified as "Cholo" and "Dimitri".
"They told him to get out of there, 'we've already told you we're going to give you the ground', 'we're going to kill you'. They even mentioned his mother," the woman recounted. Jesús had refused to work for them, which, according to her, led to the crime.
Before leaving the scene, one of the attackers threatened her directly: "We're coming for you next". The woman says she fears for her life and that of her children, and demands justice and protection from the authorities.
The night they were celebrating a pregnancy
Hours before the crime, Martínez had received the news that he was going to be a father: his partner was three months pregnant. The family had gone out to celebrate it, without foreseeing what would happen. "Yesterday he found out he was going to be a father and he was happy. He told me: 'my love, let's go back to Venezuela instead, we should have the baby there'," the woman recounted through tears.
She stressed that Jesús was not involved in illegal activities. He worked as a merchant, designed logos and patterns for the carpets they sold together, and was saving to study barbering. "He was very intelligent, well-mannered and stayed out of trouble. His mother, who is in Venezuela, is devastated. I want justice, I want his death not to go unpunished," she added.
Police investigation underway
The Ministry of Interior indicated that the motive for the attack remains under investigation. So far, the authorities have not determined with certainty whether Martínez was the target of threats, a settling of scores or an extortion case, although the Police are already working on various hypotheses.
The security cameras in the square would be a key piece in identifying the suspects. The Homicide Division of the National Police of Peru continues with the corresponding proceedings.
Witnesses witnessed the attack, but, according to the victim's partner, none have wanted to give statements out of fear. "Those people come every day on bicycles and surround people," she warned.
Source: Google News PE — Lima