SEVEN MURDERS REPORTED ACROSS PUERTO RICO IN THREE DAYS; SIX PEOPLE ALSO WOUNDED BY GUNFIRE

Deadly violence reported in multiple municipalities over the weekend as police investigate seven separate homicide cases

PUERTO RICO — Seven murders were reported across Puerto Rico between Friday, November 6, and Sunday, November 8, as a wave of deadly violence left communities across the island mourning victims and authorities working to solve multiple homicide cases.

According to the Puerto Rico Police Bureau's weekend report, the seven killings occurred in San Sebastián, San Juan, Loíza, Barranquitas, Mayagüez and Yabucoa. Six additional people were reported wounded by gunfire during the same period.

The incidents included shootings, a fatal stabbing and two killings involving members of the LGBTQ+ community, which have prompted specialized investigative attention.

FRIDAY: TWO KILLINGS REPORTED

The weekend's violence began Friday in San Sebastián, where 34-year-old Orlando X. Santiago Soto was found with multiple gunshot wounds along Emérito Estrada Rivera Avenue, near PR-125.

Authorities responded to the scene and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Another killing was reported Friday at the Las Margaritas public housing complex in Barrio Obrero, San Juan. The victim, identified as 43-year-old Ernesto Hernández López, was found inside an apartment with multiple stab wounds. This case is among the two LGBTQ+ killings being covered separately.

SATURDAY: THREE MORE PEOPLE KILLED

Violence continued into Saturday, with deadly incidents reported in Loíza, Barranquitas and Mayagüez.

In Loíza, 46-year-old merchant Bailey Rivera Sanjurjo was shot and killed at the Equino Sport Bar in the Villas de Loíza community. The incident was reported at approximately 11:14 p.m. Friday night.

In Barranquitas, 36-year-old Víctor Manuel Rodríguez Rodríguez was found dead on the balcony of his residence in the Las Villas sector of Barrio Barranca. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators have not established the circumstances surrounding the killing.

Meanwhile, in Mayagüez, authorities discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds in a vacant lot between the Candelaria public housing complex and the pedestrian bridge along PR-2. The victim's identity had not been established in the initial report. This was the second LGBTQ+ community-related killing reported during the weekend.

SUNDAY: TWO MORE KILLINGS

The deadly weekend continued into Sunday morning with two additional homicides.

At approximately 2:53 a.m., police investigated a shooting along Avenida 65 de Infantería near the El Caporal business in Río Piedras, San Juan. A 25-year-old man, identified as Víctor Flores Castillo, was shot and killed.

Two other people, a man and a woman, were also wounded in the incident and transported to a hospital in stable condition.

Hours later, at approximately 4 a.m., police discovered the body of an unidentified woman along PR-908, near kilometer 9.9 in the Jagüeyes neighborhood of Yabucoa.

The woman had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death had not been established in the initial police report.

POLICE CONTINUE INVESTIGATIONS

With seven murders recorded over the three-day period, investigators across Puerto Rico face several separate homicide investigations, including cases where victims remain unidentified and the circumstances surrounding the killings are still unclear.

The Police Bureau also reported six people wounded by gunfire during the weekend.

The weekend's violence comes amid continuing concerns over public safety and gun violence throughout Puerto Rico.

Authorities are urging anyone with information that could assist in solving the cases to contact the Puerto Rico Police Bureau at 787-343-2020.

Investigations remain ongoing.