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Police Commissioner Joseph González Falcón has sent a message to the people responsible for the deaths of two minors in Río Grande last week.
“Now I want to speak directly to those individuals responsible for this horrible event. The best thing they can do is turn themselves in because the Puerto Rican Police will not rest until they are in custody,” González said at a Sunday press conference. “Likewise, I want to speak directly to the people of Puerto Rico who are deeply affected by this case. Anyone who has any information, no matter the smallest detail, can call 787-343-2020 with any information. That line is totally confidential.”
“We are doing everything, everything, all the logical investigative steps that any investigation, and this one specifically, deserves,” the island’s chief law enforcement officer added. “There is also a security plan that is running from the Carolina area to Fajardo where there are 12-hour shifts with the uniformed police, as well as Tactical Operations and the motorized unit. This is a fully integrated plan between all the divisions of the Puerto Rico Police and I want to recognize the men and women who are working on this case who have not rested since 10:40 last Wednesday night for their commitment to this case. And in the same way the FBI, ATF and HSI joined in on the case.”
Asked if there were any suspects identified, González replied that “there are several individuals who we know are responsible for these events, but I am not going to go into those details because we are protecting the integrity of the person.”
On Monday afternoon, designated Justice secretary Janet Parra Mercado said the investigation of the case will be completed and a decision will then be made whether to file charges, so as not to affect the investigative process.
“When the Prosecutor’s Office completes its investigation in the Río Grande case, it will make the determination that is appropriate under the law, whether to file charges or not,” Parra Mercado said in a written statement. “We will not discuss the evidence or argue with the lawyer in the press.”
“Cases are litigated in court,” she added.
Two minors were killed and four people were wounded by gunfire in the attack that occurred last Wednesday night in the Villa Realidad community in Río Grande.
According to the police, they were alerted through a call to the 9-1-1 Emergency System about shots fired on Highway 955. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Miguel Colón Rodríguez, 66, with a gunshot wound to the right leg, and Rocelyn Colón Marín, 51, with a gunshot wound to the left thigh. Both were transported to a hospital, and their condition was described as stable.
Related to those events, on highway PR-3, the police located a Kia Forte vehicle with the lifeless bodies of a 13-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, both with gunshot wounds. They also found a wounded 12-year-old girl, who was taken to a hospital. Her condition is stable.
Meanwhile, authorities have charged Aneudy Castro Medina, the partner of the mother of the slain minors, for possession of a firearm.
According to the police report, Castro Medina was carrying and possessing an unlicensed rifle illegally, which he admitted was his property because he had had problems in the past.
Fajardo Court Judge Reicarlo de León Colón found cause for arrest and imposed a bail of $250,000 that Castro Medina did not pay.
He was admitted to the Bayamón penal institution.
