Four people died in two armed attacks recorded in Zacapa, just hours after the Government of Guatemala declared a 30-day state of siege in that department and in Izabal, with the aim of containing violence linked to criminal structures.
A 71-year-old woman and her 42-year-old son were killed inside their home in the village of Los Limones, in the La Vegona sector, municipality of Gualán, while two other men died after an attack on an establishment where alcoholic beverages were sold in Teculután, both municipalities in Zacapa.
One of the incidents occurred on the morning of Sunday, November 15, and the other on the night of Saturday the 14th, after President Bernardo Arévalo issued Government Decree 8-2026. The measure took effect immediately and expanded the powers of security forces in Zacapa and Izabal.
Mother and son were killed inside their home in Gualán
The first attack took place at a house in the La Vegona sector, in the village of Los Limones, in Gualán. According to preliminary information, unidentified men arrived at the home and knocked on the door.
When the victims came out to answer the call, the attackers opened fire. The Volunteer Firefighters responded to the scene after receiving an alert, but confirmed that both had already died from wounds caused by gunfire.
The victims were identified as María Olga Solano, 71 years old,…
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Four people died in two armed attacks in Zacapa hours after the state of siege took effect. (Social Media)
Four people died in two armed attacks recorded in Zacapa, just hours after the Government of Guatemala declared a 30-day state of siege in that department and Izabal, with the aim of containing violence linked to criminal structures. A 71-year-old woman and her 42-year-old son were killed inside their home in the village of Los Limones, in the La Vegona sector, municipality of Gualán, while two other men died after an attack on an establishment where alcoholic beverages were sold in Teculután, both municipalities in Zacapa. One of the incidents occurred on the morning of Sunday, November 15, and the other on the night of Saturday, November 14, after President Bernardo Arévalo issued Government Decree 8-2026. The measure took effect immediately and expanded the powers of security forces in Zacapa and Izabal.
Armed men shot and killed a woman and her son at their home located in the municipality of Gualán. (Volunteer Firefighters)
The first attack took place at a home in the La Vegona sector, in the village of Los Limones, in Gualán. According to preliminary information, unidentified men arrived at the home and knocked on the door. When the victims came out to answer the call, the attackers opened fire. The Volunteer Firefighters responded to the scene after receiving an alert, but confirmed that both had already died from wounds caused by firearm projectiles. The victims were identified as María Olga Solano, 71, and her son, Julián José Isaí García Solano, 42. The case occurred on the morning of Sunday, November 15, hours after the government measure establishing exceptional restrictions in the two eastern departments of Guatemala.
Mother and son die inside their home in an armed attack in the municipality of Gualán, in Zacapa, Guatemala. (Social Media)
Personnel from the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and the National Civil Police (PNC) arrived at the scene to carry out investigative procedures and collect evidence. So far, authorities have not reported the possible motive for the double homicide or the identity of those responsible.
The second incident occurred around 10 p.m. in the hamlet of El Oreganal, municipality of Teculután, also in Zacapa. Two men were inside a liquor store when they were shot at by unknown individuals. One of them died at the establishment. The other received attention from the Volunteer Firefighters, who performed advanced life support maneuvers and transported him by ambulance to the Regional Hospital of Zacapa. The man died during transport, according to the rescuers' report. The victims were identified as Carlos Humberto Jiménez Nájera, 47, and Miguel Ángel Hernández Martínez, 60.
Two men were attacked inside a liquor store in Teculután, Zacapa. (Social Media)
The PNC and the MP began investigations to establish how the attack occurred, determine whether there is a relationship between the victims, and locate the aggressors.
The state of siege in Zacapa and Izabal was decreed for 30 days in response to an escalation of armed attacks and threats that, according to the Guatemalan government, are related to drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. The measure allows limiting outdoor gatherings, demonstrations, and shows. It also authorizes authorities to disperse unauthorized gatherings or those in which weapons are carried, restrict the circulation of vehicles in certain areas, and order detentions or confinements without a judicial order of persons suspected of disturbing public order.
The government measure enables searches of properties without judicial authorization in the search for weapons and suspects with outstanding arrest warrants, while authorities reinforce the conflict zone with military personnel. (AGN)
The decree also enables searches without judicial authorization in specific cases, such as the search for persons with outstanding arrest warrants or the presumption that a property contains weapons or other objects related to crimes. The decision was made after several violent episodes in Zacapa, including the murder of Congressman Julio César Portillo Paz and three police officers in Río Hondo, as well as the massacre in Huité that left eight dead and an armed attack in the hamlet of El Tocino, which left five victims. The Congress of the Republic must review the decree within three days of its issuance and may ratify, modify, or reject it.