Crimeupdated 55m ago2 min read
MapGuatemalan Deputy Julio Portillo Paz Killed in Armed Attack With Three Police Officers
“However, investigators have not established any connection between the two attacks.”
“The killing comes three weeks after an ex-prosecutor was shot dead, with the possible return of politically motivated assassinations”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Deputy Julio Portillo Paz and three police officers killed in Río Hondo, Zacapa. Attack occurred in front of a National Civil Police substation.
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Zacapa attack kills four
Deputy Julio César Portillo Paz and three National Civil Police officers were killed in an armed attack in the municipality of Río Hondo in Guatemala’s eastern Zacapa department, President Bernardo Arévalo confirmed on Saturday, November 7. The victims included deputy Julio Portillo, two police officers, and one of the legislator’s bodyguards, and the attack occurred in the Zacapa region at kilometer 137, Río Hondo. Unknown assailants fired at Portillo’s caravan and the deputy died hours later after being wounded, while the Ministry of the Interior said three PNC agents who tried to repel the assault also died.
Portillo entered a medical center at 5:45 p.m. local time with multiple gunshot wounds, underwent emergency surgery, and died at 9:58 p.m., mainly from injuries to the face and skull. The Ministry of the Interior stated that three agents of the National Civil Police “lost their lives in the line of duty while repelling a direct attack against Deputy Julio Portillo” at kilometer 137, Río Hondo, Zacapa.
Competing details on victims
Le Figaro said the murdered official was the Zacapa deputy Julio Portillo, 35, and it described the attack as taking place on a road in the village of Rio Hondo in Zacapa province. A local fire service official had initially stated that the elected official was unharmed, but authorities later announced that he had died at the hospital. Reuters, as quoted by News.Az, said Portillo Paz was seriously wounded before later dying in hospital, and it said authorities had not yet disclosed a possible motive or identified suspects.
The Ministry of the Interior identified the three deceased PNC officers as Jorge Paau Xicol, Erick Armides Ramos Osorio, and Fernando Reyes Aldana, and it said the officers responded “in defense of the deputy’s life.” The Congress of Guatemala condemned the attack and asked authorities to clarify the event, while it quoted a Parliament statement that “The legislature rejects and repudiates this act of violence” and urged a “prompt, transparent, and impartial investigation.”
Aftermath and investigation
President Bernardo Arévalo condemned the armed attack and instructed security forces to cooperate fully with prosecutors investigating the killings and to identify those responsible. News.Az quoted Arévalo saying, “We will not allow criminal violence to prevail over the lives and safety of Guatemalans,” and it said authorities had not identified perpetrators or a motive. The attack came two weeks after the gun-rifled murder of former prosecutor Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa, and President Bernardo Arévalo dismissed the director and deputy director general of the National Civil Police amid criticism of police actions during the crime involving the former prosecutor.
The investigation remains open and authorities had not identified the perpetrators or the motive for the attack, while it reported that Portillo had previously reported threats and intimidation. The investigation remains under the direction of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, while the Executive offered security forces’ support to clarify the attack.