Montevideo reports three new cases of police officers shot in two different criminal incidents occurring between Thursday, July 2, and Friday, July 3, in less than 24 hours.
Ambush in Peñarol neighborhood
On Thursday afternoon, a patrol from Operational Zone III responded to the intersection of Hudson and Heinen after receiving an alert from the ShotSpotter system due to multiple gunshots.
Upon arrival, the criminals set an ambush and opened direct fire on the police vehicle. The 34-year-old officer traveling in the unit sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen, chest, and arms.
He underwent emergency surgery and remains in the ICU with a reserved prognosis.
In the subsequent operation, the police arrested a suspect in the vicinity. An important arsenal was seized from two neighboring houses: a rifle, service pistols from the Ministry of the Interior, and high-capacity magazines.
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Shooting during robbery in Atahualpa neighborhood
On Friday, four armed criminals broke into a senior citizens' home in Atahualpa. When officers patrolling the area attempted to intervene, a violent shootout erupted in the middle of the street.
Two police officers were injured: one was shot in the chest, penetrating the bulletproof vest, and the other was shot in the leg. Both were hospitalized.
The police forces launched a large lockdown operation on rooftops and nearby blocks to try to capture the assailants, who managed to flee.
These two episodes, with three police officers shot in just 24 hours, once again highlight the shortcomings in crime control and the response of the Ministry of the Interior to increasingly bold and better-armed criminal groups.
