Criminals opened fire on a police officer, and during the shootout, a 7-year-old boy was killed.

Wednesday night ended in tragedy at the intersection of Crovara Avenue and Madrid, in the district of La Matanza, when Thiago Correa, a boy just 7 years old, was struck by a bullet in the head during a violent shootout caused by four armed criminals who attempted to rob a federal police officer alongside his mother.

In recent hours, medical and judicial sources confirmed that the child was diagnosed with brain death, and his condition is irreversible.

The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. when Thiago and his father, Fabián, were waiting for the bus to go to the boy's mother's house. According to the father's account, everything happened in a matter of seconds.

“I heard an explosion and thought it was a motorcycle, but suddenly more gunshots started to be heard. When I realized they were shooting at each other, I tried to throw Thiago to the ground, but a bullet had already struck him” he recounted with anguish to TN.

According to the judicial investigation, the shootout broke out after Facundo Daniel Aguilar Fajardo, a 21-year-old assistant officer belonging to the Mounted Division of the Argentine Federal Police, was intercepted by four violent armed criminals while walking in the area in plain clothes.

After identifying himself as police personnel, he defended himself from the assault with his service weapon, firing at least ten shots. In the midst of the exchange of gunfire with the criminals, one of the bullets unfortunately struck Thiago, who was about 200 meters (656 feet) from the scene of the confrontation.

Prosecutor Diego Rulli, in charge of the case, ordered the arrest of officer Aguilar Fajardo on suspicion of alleged "excess in legitimate defense". This measure has already caused controversy and strong criticism from society, since both the police officer and Thiago are victims of the enormous security crisis in Buenos Aires province, caused by the ultra-Kirchnerist governor Axel Kicillof.

During the shootout, one of the assailants, identified as Brandon Corpus Antelo, 18 years old, died after being shot in the neck. Two other accomplices, Uriel Alexis Montenovo and Uriel Emanuel Leiva, both 21 years old, were seriously injured and remain hospitalized. The fourth criminal managed to escape and is being intensely sought by the police.

Thiago Correa has become the most painful face of a reality that seems to have no end, while the Buenos Aires Kirchnerist administration allows these areas to be left unprotected and tragedies like these to continue happening.