A robbery in Rosario ended with the thief dead and a shopkeeper shot.

On an afternoon that will remain etched in the memory of the rosarinos. The western area once again became the epicenter of a tragic sequence: an attempted robbery ended with a thief dead and a shopkeeper shot. Hours earlier, an armed gang robbed a diaper store in the northwest, leading to the arrest of four criminals.

The most serious incident occurred this Tuesday afternoon in a clothing store located at Provincias Unidas and Rueda, when Juan Mauricio Reynoso, 38 years old, entered the store accompanied by a woman —identified as Isabela M.27 years old— with the intention of stealing merchandise and money. According to the official reconstruction led by prosecutor Georgina Pairola, both criminals displayed a firearm and intimidated the store owner, Álvaro M., 32 years old, who refused to hand over what was demanded.

Faced with resistance, Reynoso fired two shots into the shopkeeper's left leg, sparking a struggle. In the midst of the fight, and accidentally, the criminal shot himself in the groin area, causing a severe injury that led to his death hours later at the Clemente Álvarez Emergency Hospital (HECA).

The chaos intensified when a plainclothes gendarme nearby entered the store upon hearing the screams and gunshots. The officer identified himself, and the criminals attempted to escape on a black motorcycle, but they fell off the vehicle. At that moment, the officer detained the woman, while Reynoso lay gravely injured. The gendarme told the neighbors that upon entering, the assailant already had the wound, which aligns with the hypothesis held by the prosecution.

The injured shopkeeper's brother spoke to the press from the hospital door where Álvaro is hospitalized: "He's fine. He's a hard worker, like all of us. He was earning his living in his store, which cost him so much. They tried to kill him for jackets. They shot him twice. It's unbelievable," he lamented visibly moved. "This can happen to anyone. They had already tried to rob him, but none as serious as this one." he added.

Meanwhile, investigators from the Homicide Prosecutor's Office continue with the forensic examinations at the crime scene, the case once again brings to the forefront the critical security situation facing Rosario, where armed violence seems to have become a daily part of urban life.

But the day didn't end there. Just hours after the deadly robbery attempt, four people were arrested following an armed robbery at a diaper store located at Eva Perón 5800, in the northwest area of the city. The robbery occurred at noon, when a gang consisting of three men (30, 34, and 29 years old) and a woman 41 years old stormed the store and, at gunpoint, stole four packages of diapers. The store employee, 34 years old, filed the report and, thanks to security cameras, the police were able to identify and track the suspects.

The criminals were intercepted in an apartment at Solis 500, where the stolen items, a firearm, two cell phones, and a notebook were seized. All were taken to the police station and charged with armed robbery.