Massacre in Zacapa, Guatemala leaves several dead and an alleged kidnapped man following an armed attack

Several security agents and official vehicles remain on a dirt street cordoned off with yellow caution tape. (Illustrative image Infobae) Guatemala's Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) confirmed in the early hours of Friday, November 13 the discovery of five people murdered and the disappearance of a man allegedly kidnapped after an armed attack that took place in the hamlet of El Tocino, La Majada village, municipality of Zacapa. The Ministry of the Interior, through the National Civil Police (PNC), confirmed that it responded to the incident and stated that proceedings are still ongoing, with no definitive official information yet on the full identity of the victims or on the whereabouts of the man taken by the attackers. According to initial PNC reports, the incident occurred at around 1:10 in the morning, when a group of heavily armed men burst into the area aboard approximately ten farm trucks. The attackers wore camouflage-patterned uniforms, helmets, and ski masks. According to the testimony of a woman who witnessed the events, the men shouted questions about her husband, identified as Keneth Estuard Pacheco Perdomo, 35, whom they located shortly afterward and took away to an unknown destination. Public Prosecutor's Office experts and police agents carry out procedures on a dirt street cordoned off with perimeter tape. (Social Media) The Ministry of the Interior stated in an official communiqué that, upon arriving at the scene, police officers were met with gunfire, which caused damage to a police unit. According to the ministry, "the presence and response of the PNC made it possible to intervene in the situation of violence and prevent the attackers from acting without opposition," although it specified that the scope of that intervention is still being evaluated. The affected unit had previously been identified by the PNC as patrol ZAC-095, which showed at least eight bullet impacts on one of its doors, the windshield, and the hood. Despite the aggression, no officers were reported injured or killed. According to information gathered by the PNC, two men of approximately 30 and 35 years of age and a woman of about 25 were found inside a gray panel-type vehicle with plates P-906BCG, which showed multiple bullet impacts on the windshield, windows, and doors. One of the victims was preliminarily identified as Diego Andrés Fajardo Ávalos, 30, who had four visible gunshot wounds according to the police report. The fifth deceased person was a man of approximately 30 years of age, also found with multiple gunshot wounds. The report does not yet establish the relationship between the victims or whether any of them attempted to intervene at the moment the attackers took Pacheco Perdomo. In addition to the deceased, three women were wounded by gunfire and were taken to a medical facility, the MP confirmed. All three came from the same village where the attack occurred. In its communiqué, the Ministry of the Interior reported that the PNC maintains a presence and is monitoring the situation in the territory and is carrying out coordination efforts to prevent new incidents of violence and protect the population. The ministry clarified that, for security reasons, the operational details of these actions will not be disclosed. The Ministry of the Interior also emphasized that the identification of the victims, the clarification of the circumstances of the attack, and the determination of responsibilities correspond to the MP, an institution that has personnel at the scene to document the site and collect evidence. At the scene, investigative personnel located numerous shell casings, as well as bullet impacts on at least one home in the area. Near a river close to the hamlet, authorities also found an abandoned motorcycle, where ballistic evidence was also collected. The caliber of the projectiles used has not been confirmed, so the use of high-powered rifles remains officially unestablished. So far, the identity of four of the five deceased has not been officially confirmed, and the whereabouts of Pacheco Perdomo remain unknown. The Ministry of the Interior stated that it will continue to address the situation and take the appropriate measures in accordance with the available information and the evolution of events.