Massacre in Villa García: five family members die in armed attack
Five members of a family linked to a criminal gang died in a shooting attack in the El Monarca neighbourhood, in the Villa García area, Montevideo.
Massacre in Villa García: five family members die in armed attack
Five people lost their lives and another was injured during a shooting attack that occurred on Friday morning at a residence in the El Monarca neighbourhood, in the Villa García area, Montevideo. According to reporting by El Observador, the incident took place around 07:30 at Pasaje Central and Juan Acosta, near kilometre 21 of Route 8.
Several neighbours alerted police to gunshots. Upon arrival, officers found four bodies and two individuals wounded by projectiles. A 14-year-old girl who had been severely injured died during medical transport.
The deceased were identified as two young people aged 18, a man of 28, a woman of 32, and the teenager of 14. Police sources indicated that all except the adult woman and the minor had prior criminal records. The three men were brothers, whilst the 32-year-old woman was the mother-in-law of one of them and mother of the young woman who died during transport, according to investigators who confirmed this to El Observador.
Preliminary testimonies indicate that four attackers arrived at the property on two motorcycles. Three of them climbed the fence of the property and entered while impersonating police officers, shouting the corresponding phrase. Moments later, gunfire erupted.
Initial investigations link the victims to the Suárez family, a criminal gang historically based in Villa Española that is believed to have relocated to that area recently. To date, authorities have not publicly disclosed the motive for the crime.
Carina Suárez, a relative of the deceased, gave statements to Montevideo Portal about the tragedy. The woman stated that the massacre was something that could be seen coming, as the family had been receiving intimidation for some time. "They carried out a massacre," she said when recalling what happened.
The family member explained that she already had plans to leave that house out of fear that exactly what eventually happened would occur. "I was going to move. I was taking my things little by little," she told Subrayado (Channel 10). She also reported that there were financial offers circulating to murder members of her family. "I warned them, I told them. These people are offering money: 500 thousand, 300 thousand for the heads of my sons and my head," she stated.
Suárez also criticised the actions of officers after the incident. "They searched my house, they turned the whole house upside down with the dead bodies inside. They don't have a shred of shame," she said. She recounted that because of the previous threats, they lived practically confined. "They know everything already, we have no life, we don't go out; the neighbours do our errands for us because we already had threats that they were going to kill us," she added.
When asked about her expectations of the justice system, Suárez expressed resignation. "What am I going to ask for? That they do justice? Justice for what? I already buried four children before. Seven children were killed on me. What justice am I going to ask for now?" she replied. The woman ended her statements with an anguished reflection: "I should have stayed in the room, I swear. Why didn't I stay in that damned room? They would have killed me and I would have gone with my children."
The Homicide Department of the Directorate of Complex Cases is carrying out the investigation, supervised by prosecutor Andrea Mastroianni, head of the 3rd Homicide Shift. High-ranking authorities travelled to the scene, including Interior Minister Carlos Negro, National Police Director José Azambuya and Montevideo Police Chief Alfredo Clavijo.
This multiple attack occurred just 48 hours after another homicide in the same area. A 37-year-old woman was shot in the chest on Wednesday night whilst walking with her 14-year-old daughter through Villa García. The victim was caught in the middle of a gunfight and died at the Malinas private clinic. At that location, 14 spent casings and two 9-millimetre cartridges were collected.
The most comparable case in recent times occurred on 30 May 2024 in the Maracaná neighbourhood, where four people—including an 11-year-old child—were killed inside a house. In March of this year, two young people aged 20 and 22 were charged in connection with that crime, to which three additional charges were added, including one against an inmate who is believed to have planned the attack from prison.
Source: Google News UY — Montevideo