Ex-police officer killed in shootout after leading supermarket robbery

A former police officer, identified as Richar Cáceres Ojeda, was killed in a confrontation with law enforcement in Alberdi on Friday night. Ojeda, a 39-year-old sub-commissioner major in the National Police, was allegedly the leader of a gang that had just committed an armed assault on a supermarket in the town.

This incident marks a grim end for Ojeda, who had a history with the law. He was previously arrested in Alberdi last year for another violent robbery but was released from custody after only three months, a decision attributed to a ruling by three judges. This judicial leniency, the article suggests, effectively allowed him to continue his criminal activities until his death.

During the shootout, Ojeda reportedly fired upon pursuing officers, resulting in injuries to one policeman, sub-officer Lidio Candia López, who is now hospitalized. Ojeda was found 55 meters from Route PY19 in the Estero Corá company, having allegedly been hiding in the woods with his accomplices for two days after the supermarket heist.

Following Ojeda's death, authorities arrested three other individuals believed to be part of his gang: Diego Alberto Valdez Morales, 34, with a prior record for negligent homicide; Fabio Luis Gabilán, 51, with convictions for intentional homicide and aggravated robbery; and Eladio Muñoz García, 49, also with records for intentional homicide and aggravated robbery. The gang is suspected of being involved in a series of robberies in Alberdi last year, including an assault on an informal exchange house and a home invasion where hostages were taken.