Taxi driver accused of murder in Montevideo: war weapons found at his residence
A 43-year-old driver was formally charged with the shooting death of a man on Pérez Castellanos. Pistols, an assault rifle, a grenade and a large quantity of ammunition were discovered at his home.
Taxi driver accused of murder in Montevideo: war weapons found at his residence
A 43-year-old app-based driver was brought before a judge on Thursday for the murder of a 38-year-old man, recorded on Tuesday at the intersection of Jacobo Varela and Rafael Eguren avenues, in the Pérez Castellanos neighbourhood. Mirta Morales, head of the second shift Homicide unit, indicated that the investigation is in its early stages, but stated that there is already evidence to identify him as the material author of the crime.
"In these early hours of investigation we were able to gather evidence to understand that he had participated in that homicide," the prosecutor said. When asked if the Public Ministry believes he was the one who fired the shots, she replied: "For us, yes he was," clarifying that, given that he has just been formally charged, he is presumed innocent until there is a final sentence.
The crime occurred during the morning of Tuesday. The deceased, who had 11 previous criminal records, was struck by projectiles at the mentioned intersection. Witnesses at the scene said the victim sustained multiple impacts, ran forward several metres and collapsed on the central median of the avenue. Experts collected four spent cartridge cases and blood traces at the site.
In the initial stages of the investigation, officers from the Homicide Department reviewed security camera footage from the area, which made it possible to identify the driver and the car he was driving near the site of the attack. Based on that information, the Public Ministry requested a capture warrant and several home searches.
One of the raids was carried out at a house located on Gustavo A. Volpe and Pasaje 320. There, officers discovered a significant cache of war material. Three Glock pistols of 9 mm calibre, an AK-47 rifle, a hand grenade, four pistol magazines, two rifle magazines and numerous boxes of projectiles were seized. Morales stressed that the ammunition was "very extensive" and that the existence of the grenade required the presence of the Army's Explosives Brigade, which removed the explosive for examination.
Together with the homicide, the duty prosecutor attributed to the detainee the crimes of carrying weapons in public spaces and domestic arms trafficking, ammunition and explosives, given that, according to what Morales stated, no documentation appeared that would confirm legal possession of the confiscated arsenal.
The accused had a previous conviction for armed robbery dating from more than ten years ago. However, the prosecutor explained that, given the time elapsed, that prior conviction has no bearing on the current proceedings. The judge ordered that he remain in custody until December whilst further evidence is gathered. Although regulations establish a twelve-month period to close the investigation, Morales estimated that investigations typically conclude earlier, unless particular difficulties arise.
_Source: El Observador_
Source: Google News UY — Montevideo