Peruvian officer arrested in connection with 8-year-old boy's death

A National Police officer in Peru is under investigation and has been detained for allegedly causing the death of an 8-year-old boy with his firearm during a police intervention in Huacho, north of Lima. The Public Ministry announced the development on Monday, July 20, 2026.

The Huaura Criminal Prosecutor's Office has taken charge of the case, identifying the officer as Luis Nazario Chumbes. The investigation focuses on the alleged commission of the crime of attempted culpable homicide. The Public Ministry stated that the minor "died after a police intervention in Huacho" and that the agent was "detained in flagrante delicto" after causing the child's death with a gunshot.

Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Fernando Ayala has ordered the seizure of the weapon used, along with a ballistics examination and an atomic absorption test. Statements will also be taken from the officers involved in the intervention. The prosecutor is also seeking surveillance camera footage from the area and videos recorded by witnesses, among other urgent inquiries.

Local media reported that the child died on Sunday at the Hospital del Niño in Lima. He had been admitted in critical condition after being shot in the head during a police intervention involving a mototaxi, a common form of transport in Peru, in Huacho, a coastal city approximately 140 kilometers north of the capital. Reports suggest the boy was traveling with his mother as a passenger when the mototaxi crashed, prompting the police intervention and an altercation.