A 14-year-old boy shot and killed a dangerous criminal who attempted to break into his home, located in the El Frutillar neighborhood of San Carlos de Bariloche, in the province of Río Negro.
The deceased thief, identified as Agustín Leandro Ortiz, 33 years old, was shot in the chest and died at the entrance of the house. According to the investigation, the minor used a gun registered in his father's name to defend himself from the attempted robbery.
Initially, information about the case was confusing. On Tuesday afternoon, officers from the Río Negro Police and members of the Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) went to the residence on Neneo Street, following a 911 call alerting them to the presence of a lifeless body.
El hecho ocurrió en Bariloche.
Initially, no details were known about how the incident occurred, as the prosecution only confirmed that it was an adult man with a gunshot wound.
The autopsy conducted the following morning determined that the cause of death was hypovolemic shock. The bullet, which struck him in the chest, remained lodged in the upper part of the back and was extracted for forensic analysis.
As the investigation progressed, it was established that the shot was fired by a 14-year-old teenager, who was alone in the house at the time of the attempted robbery. Prosecutor Betiana Cendón explained that, when interviewed, the minor recounted that he took his father's gun upon seeing that someone was trying to enter the house and fired the shot in self-defense.
Un chico de 14 años se defendió de un intento de robo.
The Criminalistics area corroborated his version by determining that a window had been smashed with a stone and that the property showed marks on the exterior, suggesting that it had been previously marked for a robbery. Additionally, witnesses stated that a vehicle left the area at high speed after the shot.
According to the initial conclusions, Ortiz intended to commit a robbery with an accomplice, who managed to escape in the vehicle. Since the teenager is 14 years old, he can't be legally charged.
"If it's a 14-year-old minor, there's nothing to be done. We can't proceed against a 14-year-old minor," explained Prosecutor Betiana Cendón in a conversation with Radio Seis.
She also noted that the case will be addressed by the Family Court and the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents, and Family (SENAF), which will assess the minor's situation according to established protocols.
