ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Police: Puerto Rico assailants targeting drug rival killed 2 and injured 13

In this May 21, 2020 file photo, a Puerto Rican flag flies on an empty beach at Ocean Park, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File) In this May 21, 2020 file photo, a Puerto Rican flag flies on an empty beach at Ocean Park, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)
Share
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -

Assailants in Puerto Rico who killed two people and injured 13 when they fired indiscriminately outside a bar during a birthday party were targeting just one man in a drug trafficking feud, police said Monday.

No arrests have been made in the weekend shooting.

Police believe the target was a man in his 20s who was killed outside the Piel Kanela bar in San Juan when assailants in cars opened fire early Sunday, Col. Roberto Rivera told The Associated Press in an interview.

The man, Luis E. Guzman Gonzalez, 28, had eluded earlier attempts at assassination in attacks linked to drug trafficking. "What these people wanted to happen, finally happened," Rivera said.

All of the other victims were bystanders, Rivera said.

Another man at the scene, Luis Hernandez Martinez, 72, was killed. Eight people were being treated in hospitals from wounds suffered in the attack, and five had been treated and released.

Investigators who reviewed security camera footage believe one vehicle drove past the bar and identified the target. Then, occupants of two other vehicles opened fire.

The shooting brought to 11 the total number of people slain in violence over the Memorial Day weekend in Puerto Rico

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said that the Sunday morning attack was "hard," but expressed confidence that investigators would crack the case. He also lauded the work of police forces under his administration, saying that 57 fewer people have been slain in violence through this date this year, as compared with last year.

So far in 2023, there have been 204 slayings, compared with 261 during the same period in 2022.

Rivera, an auxiliary commander of investigation with 38 years experience in the Puerto Rico police, said criminals have abandoned a previous unwritten code not to shoot targets when they're with relatives, though he didn't clarify whether Sunday's victims included relatives of the targeted man.

Assailants in targeted killings also are becoming younger, he said.

"Now they give them a rifle, and tell them to shoot without looking. What's important is to finish the mission," Rivera said.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.