A violent attempted robbery ended in gunfire outside the renowned Colegio Emaús in El Palomar, Buenos Aires province, when three criminals attacked a father who had just arrived at the school to drop off his daughter at kindergarten.
The incident once again puts the disastrous management of ultra-Kirchnerist governor Axel Kicillof under scrutiny in light of the security crisis that has plagued Buenos Aires province for years.
The incident occurred this Thursday around 7:15 AM on Ingeniero Santiago Brian Street at number 900, right in the school zone, as other parents were also arriving with their children. The victim was identified as Hernán Mariano Catarraso, 51 years old and a former chief of the Buenos Aires Police.
The attack
According to the information released, Catarraso noticed that at least three suspects got out of a vehicle and pointed a gun at him with the intention of stealing the truck he was driving.
In response to the situation, the man identified himself as a member of the security force and shouted for them to stop. The reaction led to an armed confrontation that ended with the ex-commissioner shot in the abdomen.
The scene following the shooting reflects the level of violence experienced outside the school. Catarraso lay on the asphalt, although he remained conscious and primarily worried about his daughter. In the midst of desperation, he was heard asking: “Can you check on the girl? Hey, the girl!”.
While the man remained injured, a neighbor and other parents nearby assisted the minor and called for help to 911. Shortly after, an ambulance from SAME arrived and rushed the injured man to Posadas Hospital, where he was admitted to intensive care.
Claudio, a father of a student, reported that he arrived around 7:25 AM and found the street blocked by the operation following the attack.
The school
“When I was turning around, the parents were blocking the street, and I had to get out a block and a half before the school. I asked what had happened, and they told me that a father, a retired commissioner, had been shot,” he recounted in an interview with “Desayuno Americano” on América.
Lucila, another mother who witnessed the episode, described an even graver scenario. She recounted that when she arrived to drop off her son, two vehicles stopped, and several people began pointing guns at the parked cars.
“We were arriving, and two cars stopped, people started getting out and aiming at all the parked cars. And then the shots started,” she recalled in an interview with TN.
The woman added that the criminals fled quickly after the shooting and described how the moment unfolded when Catarraso attempted to confront them: “At one point, I heard shots, this gentleman got out and started chasing the criminals.”
The incident once again highlights the serious situation in Buenos Aires province, with numerous acts of extreme violence occurring every day due to Kicillof's policies.
