Bullrich requested a change in the charges against the thieves due to Thiago's death.

National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich addressed this Friday the case of Thiago Correa, the 7-year-old boy who was struck by a bullet in the head during a shootout between a Federal Police officer and four violent criminals in the Buenos Aires district of La Matanza.

At a press conference, the official was categorical in identifying the true perpetrators of the tragedy: "The criminals went out to kill. They are directly responsible for what is happening to Thiago."

Bullrich was emphatic in defending officer Facundo Aguilar Fajardo, 21 years old, who remains in custody accused of excessive self-defense. "Facundo acted in self-defense, fulfilling his duty as a police officer. He defended himself from the possibility of being killed along with his mother. He is a newly graduated young man, and he faced four armed criminals alone," she emphasized.

In this regard, she announced that Javier Milei's government will formally request a change in the legal classification in the case under investigation. "The charge can't be just aggravated robbery. What happened here was attempted homicide."

The incident occurred Wednesday night, around 10:30 p.m., at the intersection of Crovara and Madrid avenues. Thiago was waiting for the bus with his father when, about 200 meters (656 feet) away, officer Aguilar was attacked by four criminals.

Dressed in civilian clothes and off duty, the officer identified himself as police and replied to repel the assault. In the shootout, which lasted several seconds, a bullet struck Thiago, who now remains hospitalized with a diagnosis of brain death.

One of the assailants, Brandon Corpus Antelo, 18 years old, died after being shot in the neck. Two other accomplices were seriously injured and a fourth escaped. Although the officer's actions prevented him and his mother from being murdered, the judiciary decided to charge him, a decision that has caused criticism from the political and social spheres.

"It is important to set things straight, to understand that Facundo's action, a 21-year-old newly graduated police officer, is an act of self-defense; he defended himself from the possibility of being killed along with his mother," Bullrich clarified.

"The criminals' action is an offensive act, an attack, an attempt to kill. Thus, today we have a 7-year-old boy who suffered the consequences of a gang that went out to rob with weapons. They are directly responsible for what is happening to Thiago. We are supporting his family and Thiago's family," Bullrich concluded.

The official statement makes clear Milei's government's position: full support for police action in the face of rising crime, and an explicit call for justice targeting those who caused this tragedy.