Four homicides in one night in Montevideo: three deaths in less than an hour
A night of violence on the outskirts of Montevideo left four dead, including a 27-year-old woman murdered in front of her young daughter.
Four murders shake Montevideo in a single night
Four homicides within a matter of hours marked Tuesday night on the outskirts of Montevideo, three of them within a span of approximately one hour, according to infobae.com. All victims were under 40 years old.
The first of the three consecutive crimes occurred in Villa Española, a neighbourhood marked by disputes between criminal organisations. A 24-year-old man, identified as a member of the Los Puglia gang, was executed by gunfire by at least three attackers who arrived in a van and opened fire without a word. The man had a criminal record and fell in a grassy area near his home while attempting to flee.
The victim's link to Los Puglia becomes relevant days after the murder of another member of that same organisation in Buenos Aires. Carlos Andrés Migales Viera was shot in the early hours of Sunday in front of his wife, in a crime with hitman characteristics. According to Uruguayan police sources, Migales Viera had an extensive criminal record in Uruguay, with a history that included drug trafficking and a homicide committed since his adolescence. The Police are investigating whether there is a connection between both incidents.
Mother shot 12 times in front of her daughter
Minutes after the homicide in Villa Española, in the Piedras Blancas neighbourhood, a 27-year-old woman was murdered while travelling on a motorcycle with her young daughter. Two attackers, also on a motorcycle, shot her twelve times. A security camera recorded the moment after the shooting: the child screams and cries, repeating the word "Help!" on several occasions, according to what was broadcast by the Telemundo newscast on Channel 12.
The woman fell to the ground next to the child. Family members living half a block away arrived to assist the girl. The victim was taken to a health centre, where she died. A single bullet casing was left at the scene.
The family members informed the Police that the woman had had recent conflicts and provided names of possible attackers. The victim had recently been released from prison and had two criminal convictions. Her brother is being sought by the courts for a homicide.
A third homicide in the Colón neighbourhood
Completing the sequence of crimes during that hour, in the Colón neighbourhood an 18-year-old youth received several gunshots near his home. The attacker forced his way into the house and fled on a motorcycle. The deceased had a criminal record for theft.
Hours before this string of incidents, a 33-year-old man had died from stab wounds in the Cerro neighbourhood, on the western approach to Montevideo, bringing the total number of homicides for the day to four.
Disputes between gangs as backdrop
Official data cited by infobae.com indicate that 58 per cent of murders in Uruguay are due to disputes and vengeance between criminal groups. Conflicts in several Montevideo neighbourhoods have been sustained for years, mostly linked to the control of drug trafficking and the violent resolution of debts or internal betrayals.
The Interior Ministry has noted that each homicide feeds a cycle: it generates new tensions, enables reprisals, and deepens the dynamic of vengeance between gangs, who feel the need to respond to each loss. It is a spiral that, according to the authorities, perpetuates itself over time.
Source: Google News UY — Montevideo