The Attorney General’s Office announced on Tuesday, 30 September 2025 that 11 members of the National Police have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the deaths of five men during a purported shootout. The incident took place on 10 September in a commercial plaza parking lot located on Olímpica Avenue in the La Barranquita sector of Santiago city.
The incident had occurred on Wednesday, September 10th, and was initially reported as an alleged exchange of gunfire with National Police agents—a version that the police institution itself has not yet validated.
Family members of Valerio Estévez and other deceased individuals deny the police version of events, insisting it was a multiple execution. They have demanded an independent investigation and that justice be served.
The National Police initially reported that the deceased men were part of an alleged criminal network. However, following pressure from the family of Valerio Estévez, who denied he was a criminal and accused the agents of taking the security recordings of the incident, the authorities ordered a full investigation.
The initial group of detainees are all attached to the National Police’s Department of Investigation of Complex Crimes. They include: Major Álvaro Paredes Paniagua, Captain José Gómez Rodríguez, Second Lieutenant Domingo de los Santos Vargas, Corporals Yohandy Encarnación and Geyser Francisco Álvarez Rodríguez, and Private Adrían Miguel Villalona Pineda.
Also arrested were officers belonging to the Regional Subdirectorate of Cibao Central Investigation: Major Hansel M. Cuevas Carrasco, Sergeant Major Sócrates Fidel Féliz Féliz, Sergeant Hairo Mateo Morillo, Corporal César Augusto Martínez Trinidad, and Private José Octavio Jiménez Peña.
The victims
The institution explained that the officers are implicated in the deaths of Edward Bernardo Peña Rodríguez, Carlos Enrique Guzmán Navarro (a.k.a. “Charly” or “Charli Chasc”), José Vladimir Valerio Estévez, Elvis Antonio Martínez Rodríguez, and Julio Alberto Gómez.
The arrests were carried out as part of an investigation led by the director of Prosecution for the Public Ministry, Wilson Camacho, and the Chief Prosecutor of Santiago, Quirsa Abreu. They were acting under the direct orders of the Attorney General of the Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso. Reynoso ordered authorities to establish the objective circumstances of the incident and take action based on the findings of the investigation. Authorities also indicated that Corporal Yohandy Encarnación was wounded during the event.
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Diario Libre
1 October 2025