A retiree killed an assailant with a shot to the chest

A 76-year-old retiree shot a criminal who was trying to assault him at his home with a shot to the chest and was not detained for the act, since investigators considered that he acted in self-defense, police and judicial sources reported Wednesday.

The event occurred in the town of Villa Diamante, in the Buenos Aires district of Lanús.

The event took place yesterday after 6:30 p.m. on Grecia Street at 5800, between the Osorio and Lomas Valentina arteries of the aforementioned town in the south of the Buenos Aires suburbs, to where personnel from the 5th police station attended. de Lanús after several neighbors reported a detonation of a firearm.

In these circumstances, police sources specified that there was an armed man who had received a bullet wound in the chest, for which he was transferred to the municipal hospital, where he died a few minutes later.

As the informants clarified, the man was armed and did not bring any identifying credentials with him.

After the fact, the troops began to review the images that had been captured by the neighborhood surveillance cameras, in which the young man was observed walking through the neighborhood until he climbed over the roof of a house.

Subsequently, the deceased can be seen jumping from the terrace of said house towards the sidewalk, along which he walked about 20 meters until he collapsed, as a result of the wounds from the shot he received.

In this way, the authorities met with the owner of that address, a 76-year-old retiree, who acknowledged having shot the alleged offender when he was trying to carry out an assault at his home.

In this sense, judicial spokesmen specified that the man, identified as Juan Carlos González (76) fired the shot with a Bersa Thunder Pro pistol, .40 caliber, for which he had legal documentation and which was already assessed by the investigations.

In turn, the informants clarified that González will not be charged for the moment by the Functional Instruction Unit (UFI) 5 of Lanús, in charge of the prosecutor Mariano Leguiza Capristo, considering that he acted in "legitimate defense."

For his part, the representative of the Public Ministry labeled the episode as "investigation of causes of death, followed by robbery aggravated by the use of a weapon and escalation."

The case has a precedent from the year 2020 with similar characteristics, when at dawn on July 17 the retiree Jorge Ríos (73) was assaulted at his home by five thieves who entered for the third time on the same night to rob him, in Ayolas at 2700 , in Quilmes West.

The retired blacksmith was surprised at his home while he was sleeping, and was beaten and intimidated with a screwdriver by the assailants, who caused injuries to the back of his right hand, his right forearm, and his head, at the same time as " they tried to illegally dispossess him of things of value existing on the property”, according to the investigators.

However, the thieves were unable to achieve their objective because Ríos took out a 9-millimeter Bersa Thunder pistol and fired several shots at them, making them flee.

In the images from the security cameras, it can be seen that one of the assailants, later identified as Moreyra, lagged behind the rest of the gang because he was injured and tried to flee limping until he fell around the corner.

In the same videos it can be seen that Ríos left his house armed and caught up with Moreyra, kicked him and, according to witness statements, shot him.

Although in the filming no flash is observed with the naked eye due to the poor quality of the image, the main hypothesis of the prosecution is that, in that place, 60 meters from his house, the retiree finished off the criminal.

However, the defense relies on a ballistic survey from the Institute of Forensic Sciences of Lomas de Zamora, which determined that Ríos fired "at a distance greater than 50 centimeters."

>> Read more: A retiree killed a thief who had already assaulted him three times at his home in Quilmes

Currently, the retiree is released from prison and at his home awaiting the start of the trial, in July 2023, since he continues to be charged with the "aggravated homicide by the use of a firearm" of Moreyra, a crime for which he could be sentenced to 25 years in prison.

In this sense, it was stipulated that the debate mechanism be through a popular jury.

“We have opted for Jury Trial. I have no doubts that ordinary people are going to acquit Don Jorge," said the lawyer representing Ríos, Fernando Soto.

">> Read more: A retiree killed a thief who had already assaulted him three times at his home in QuilmesCurrently, the retiree is released from prison and at his home awaiting the start of the trial, in July 2023, since he continues to be charged with the "aggravated homicide by the use of a firearm" of Moreyra, a crime for which he could be sentenced to 25 years in prison.