The two young people, aged 23 and 20, who were shot early this Sunday on Avenida del Mar are at life risk.
The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. in front of the Hangar and Kamikaze nightclubs, located on the coast, where a 54-year-old subject fired a series of shots, in events that have been widely reported on social media. social.
According to information collected by Diario El Día, the accused is a retired Army soldier, who was detained in the vicinity of the site of the event by Carabineros and placed at the disposal of the Guarantee Court in the morning.
According to preliminary information, the individual in an apparent state of intoxication was outside the aforementioned premises with a weapon in his hand. Witnesses indicated that he began to intimidate passers-by, to which a group of people who were at the scene intervened to subdue him.
It would have been at that moment that he fired at least four shots, with the two young men, identified as Renzo Bazan and Alexander Pereira, being injured.
From the La Serena Hospital they confirmed the admission of the patients to the Emergency Room in the early morning hours, one transferred by SAMU and the other by their own means. They underwent surgery yesterday and both are in life-threatening condition.
Meanwhile, in a detention control hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office requested an extension of the detention, in order to gather the necessary background information to file charges. The formalization will be this Wednesday in the Guarantee Court of La Serena.
It should be noted that by order of the court, his identity cannot be disclosed.
Worry
From the Hangar gastrobar they issued a statement to our media regretting the events, carried out “by people outside our premises.” In that sense, they expressed themselves “dismayed that this type of thing happens on Avenida del Mar” so they called for “increasing gun control, since the free circulation of weapons exposes us to constant danger.” .
In addition, they urged the “necessary increase of Carabineros in the sector.”
It should be noted that the case adds to another recent police incident on Costanera Avenue, where on Friday night a 29-year-old young man was stabbed in the middle of an assault by two criminals.
The young man, who was passing through the area and staying in a hostel in La Serena, was treated by medical staff from the hospital in the regional capital, where sutures were applied and he was discharged.
The case had already raised concerns among local unions, who are asking for greater security measures.
“For some time now we have been requesting that actions be carried out such as putting a checkpoint on Avda del Mar. The systematic presence of police in that area is something that will collaborate to counteract crime,” said the president of the regional Chamber of Tourism, Laura Cerda.
This Sunday and given the new incident of bloodshed in the area, María Antonieta Zúñiga, manager of Barrio del Mar, an organization that brings together residents of the coastal area, joined the calls and indicated that “it is very regrettable for all of us to find out about “This news (…) obviously, we are very concerned about the integrity of all those who travel in that space, both tourists and residents and also our collaborators.”
Zúñiga indicated to El Día that they are participating in constant meetings with the authorities “not only requesting improvements and actions, but also actively working to achieve them.” Coordinations that rescue the installation of Carabineros sentry boxes for the summer.
However, he said, “a tourist destination is not only cared for in the summer, but all year round,” which is why he reported that they are working on raising resources to permanently install a sentry box.
Attentive municipalities
When consulted in the Municipality of La Serena, the head of the Department of Citizen Security, Gonzalo Arceu, indicated that he agreed that “a constant police presence, rather than citizen security” is required in the place.
In that sense, he stated that “it is quite important to have permanently, as we had during the summer, a Carabineros installation, type of checkpoint, because this way these situations would decrease.”
As for the municipality, they are collaborating with the investigation of the shooting, contributing with recordings from television surveillance cameras. In addition, he reported that mixed patrols will be implemented next week, to mark a greater presence in that sector.
From Coquimbo, meanwhile, Mayor Ali Manouchehri said that “we share the concern regarding the latest events and we hope that the institutions responsible for security strengthen measures in this area.”
The communal chief indicated that, in the “collaborative” role that the municipality has in the matter, investment in security has increased in recent years, which has allowed the acquisition of resources such as drones, trucks, motorcycles and mobile checkpoints, “which “We handed over to Carabineros to reinforce police work throughout the territory.”
“In the case of the coastal edge, coordination between all actors is important, with the presidential delegation, the police, businessmen and entrepreneurs in the sector, because the support of everyone is needed, including the owners of the premises, in order to prevent and be in coordination to strengthen patrols, inspections and that all actions are reinforced. For our part, we are always willing to collaborate with the institutions in charge of security,” he added.
