The death of Michelle Barreno, 33, which occurred on Friday, June 19, in a commercial establishment in zone 10 of Quetzaltenango, could be related to a debt acquired through the loan system known as gota a gota, according to the first investigations by the National Civil Police (PNC).
According to investigators, the main hypothesis is that the victim had asked for money from a group of lenders that operate in the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango and that the armed attack would be linked to non-payment.
Barreno died in a business located on 0th Street and Las Américas Avenue, zone 10, after armed men entered the establishment and shot him.
Hours after the crime, police from police station 41 captured four alleged perpetrators of the attack in zone 9 of Quetzaltenango.
The detainees are Walter “N”, 53 years old; Esvin “N”, 41, alias “Bacho”; Miguel “N”, 50, and Juan “N”, 42. According to the National Civil Police, the suspects were traveling in a Nissan Frontier pick-up truck in which they were trying to escape.
During the operation, three pistols and a Maverick shotgun were seized, weapons that, according to preliminary investigations, would have been used in the attack. In addition, five cell phones were confiscated.
The PNC reported that the weapons are registered in the General Directorate of Weapons and Ammunition Control (Digecam) and that the evidence was under the protection of the Public Ministry.
Two more women killed in Quetzaltenango
The case of Michelle Barreno adds to another act of violence against women recorded this week in Quetzaltenango.
On June 17, two other women were found dead in the sector known as Tuilcanabaj, in Concepción Chiquirichapa. The victims were identified as Roselia Sac Hernández, 21, originally from Olintepeque, and Lourdes Villatoro, 17, from La Esperanza.
Police said both had gunshot wounds and their bodies were found in a wooded area of the municipality by a ranger.
Preliminarily, the Public Ministry reported that several firearm projectiles were located at the scene.
Investigators indicated that the victims were alleged gang members. Furthermore, one of the hypotheses indicates that the crime could be related to the consumption of alcohol or drugs; However, the case remains under investigation, the PNC said.