Overnight Gun Violence Claims Three Lives Across Puerto Rico

Three men were killed in separate shootings spanning San Juan, Caguas, and Luquillo from Friday night into Saturday morning. Investigators have identified each victim and opened homicide cases.

Overnight Gun Violence Claims Three Lives Across Puerto Rico

Three fatal shootings rocked different parts of the island between Friday evening and Saturday dawn, according to law enforcement officials.

In Santurce, San Juan, a 31-year-old man was gunned down near the crossing of Avenida A and Calle 8 in the Obrero district shortly after 7 p.m. Friday. First responders arriving at the scene found Luis Armando Piris Torres, who lived in the same neighborhood, lifeless from firearm injuries. Detectives from the capital's Homicide Division, alongside prosecutor Anamar Menéndez, are pursuing leads.

Later that night, around 10:34 p.m., another execution-style killing unfolded on Highway PR-765 within Caguas's Borinquen area. Emergency dispatchers fielded a 9-1-1 alert about a wounded individual. Upon reaching the Naranjito stretch at kilometer marker 2.4, patrol units discovered 46-year-old Omar Cotto Cruz slumped inside a gray Toyota Yaris manufactured in 2007, riddled with bullets. The Caguas Criminal Investigation Corps' homicide squad, prosecutor Dennis Soto, and Institute of Forensic Sciences staff have joined the case.

The bloodshed continued past midnight in Luquillo, where officers reached Highway 9990's kilometer 1.9 in the Mata de Plátano community around 12:40 a.m. Saturday. There they found 33-year-old José Carlos Quiñonez Tirado, also a local resident, dead from gunfire. The deceased had earlier run-ins with the law involving narcotics and unlawful taking of property. Agent Luis Alejandro Velázquez from the Fajardo area homicide unit and prosecutor Pedro Vargas Echevarría are examining the circumstances.

The island's police department urges members of the public who might possess tips to dial the confidential line at 787-343-2020, or message authorities through the @PRPDNoticias Twitter handle and the official Facebook page.

Source: NotiCel

Source: Google News PR — San Juan