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Inisa President Says Slain Youth 'Was Doing Well'
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Elections & Politics

Inisa President Says Slain Youth 'Was Doing Well'

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • The president of Uruguay's National Institute for Adolescent Inclusion (Inisa) commented on the murder of a 19-year-old resident.
  • The young man was shot dead outside a center where he was participating in a semi-liberty program.
  • Inisa's president stated the victim was doing well, studying, and visiting family, and was a candidate for a job program.

The president of Uruguay's National Institute for Adolescent Inclusion (Inisa), Jaime Saavedra, described the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old resident as a "tremendous, unprecedented event." The young man was killed by gunfire outside the Burgues center in Montevideo's Atahualpa neighborhood on Tuesday night.

It was a tremendous, unprecedented event.

— Jaime SaavedraDescribing the murder of the 19-year-old resident.

Saavedra expressed full agreement with a statement from the Inisa workers' union (Suinau), which conveyed "enormous concern" not only about the attack on the youth but also because bullets penetrated the center's entrance gate. He noted that the projectiles could have endangered staff or other adolescents inside the facility.

This adolescent of 19 years was in that process, he was doing things well, he was studying, struggling but he was studying, he was visiting his family and he was one of the candidates to work in the Cosechando Esperanza program, which is led by Richard Read and is working very well.

— Jaime SaavedraDetailing the victim's positive progress in the semi-liberty program.

The victim was part of a semi-liberty program, allowing certain inmates who demonstrate good behavior to engage in daily life outside the center for up to eight hours. This includes attending school, working, or seeking employment, and visiting family. Saavedra stated the 19-year-old was actively studying, visiting his family, and was being considered for a promising job program called "Cosechando Esperanza" (Harvesting Hope).

The truth is one leaves [the center] moved, distressed, because one experiences things one never imagined experiencing.

— Jaime SaavedraReflecting on the emotional impact of visiting the center after the incident.

According to Saavedra, the young man was returning punctually to the center after visiting his family when he was ambushed and killed at the entrance. Initial information suggests three attackers were involved. The victim had no reported conflicts within the center and was scheduled to regain full liberty in September. Saavedra emphasized that the shooting could have escalated into a "massacre" given the proximity of a nursing home, a taxi company, and the general public in the area.

Beyond this homicide, the shooting could have turned into a massacre.

— Jaime SaavedraHighlighting the potential for greater tragedy due to the location of the attack.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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