Neighbors of the San Francisco neighborhood in Florencio Varela set fire to a house that operated as a “narco kiosk” after a double murder in the area, amid severe insecurity resulting from the disastrous management of Governor Axel Kicillof.
The attack on the property occurred on Saturday, two days after the murder of two young men and a third was hospitalized in critical condition following a violent shooting.
The house is located just a few meters from where Ariel Machi, 28, and Franco Javier Herrera, 23, were killed. According to reports, the assailants may not have targeted the three young men.
The burned house
This generated strong indignation among the neighbors and led to a spontaneous protest in front of the targeted home. As hours passed, some of those present set the property on fire, which ended up destroyed by the flames.
Videos of the fire were shared on social media, while police officers arrived in the area to try to disperse the people who remained at the scene.
The murdered young men
The double murder occurred on Thursday before 9 PM, on street 1325, between 1344 and 1348. The victims were in front of one of their homes when a gray Volkswagen Suran stopped at the location.
From inside the vehicle, at least one of the occupants opened fire on the group and then fled. Ariel Machi was shot in the left leg and in the abdomen and died at the scene.
The burned house
Franco Javier Herrera, owner of the house in front of which the attack occurred, sustained gunshot wounds to the stomach and back. His father took him in a private vehicle to the Mi Pueblo Hospital along with another injured person, but the young man died the following day as a result of his injuries.
The third young man attacked was Sebastián Ortiz, 25 years old. He received gunshots to the back and abdomen and, after undergoing surgery, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Investigation of the attack
The investigation aims to establish who was responsible and what the motive for the attack was. So far, there have been no arrests.
According to testimonies, the three young men had no connection to drug dealing in the area. This reconstruction suggests that the assailants may have been targeting another house on the block, identified as a supposed location linked to drug trafficking.
The official report from the Florencio Varela Police indicated that officers arrived at the scene after receiving an alert to 911 about gunfire and possible presence of injured individuals. Upon arrival, they found Machi lifeless, while Herrera and Ortiz had already been taken away by family members.
The case is under the jurisdiction of UFIJ N° 6, with operations conducted by the Operational Task Group of police stations and oversight from the head of the Sub DDI Varela.
