"I just want justice," says father of child who died in Villa Duarte

Santo Domingo – On Thursday night, around 6:40 p.m., in the Villa Duarte sector, a 10-year-old boy, identified as Josué Versalles, lost his life after being shot in the head during a shootout in the Villa Duarte sector. The minor was with his mother, who was attending to her popsicle business, when unknown individuals fired multiple shots. The child's father, Juan Alberto Versalles, explained that he was in the house at the time of the incident and that he did not imagine that something like that could happen. Visibly affected, he expressed that his son had arrived moments before to play ball and was near his mother's business when the shooting broke out.

"I went to work in the morning; the boy went to school and then went to play ball. When he finished, he stood near his mother's business. I don't know who it was, nor do I understand why they did that. I only heard gunshots and one hit him in the head. I didn't know of any problem, I didn't know anything," the father of the deceased minor recounted.

“The boy didn't want to die, he was ready to go to school tomorrow. I just want justice, because I didn't know who had done that or why.”

You can also read: The minor's mother, Benita Orne, was injured during the shooting and was immediately transferred to Dr. Darío Contreras Hospital, where she remains admitted receiving medical attention. The ice cream parlor business that the mother ran represented the family's main source of income, so this tragedy not only leaves deep sorrow, but also directly affects their income. The authorities have initiated the corresponding investigations to identify and apprehend those responsible for the act.