Spanish
Santo Domingo.- It was 6:10 in the evening when the phone in the De Último Minuto newsroom rang insistently. On the other end of the line, the heartbreaking screams of a woman broke through the usual hustle and bustle of the editorial team:
"A tragedy has just happened!, a neighbor killed a neighbor," he shouted in desperation before the call was abruptly cut off, which made one of the journalists think that person had also been attacked.
The tension momentarily hindered the journalists. In the call log, they found it difficult to visualize the phone number that had given the alert of the tragedy. The panic that his voice conveyed made journalists Arelis Suero, Carolina Álvarez and Camil Adon try to return the call immediately, thinking that the worst had happened. Two minutes later, the phone rang again.—“There was a tragedy,” the nervous voice of the citizen repeated.
—“Yes, please, inform us where”, replied one of the journalists.
—“Here in the Naco Dorado Condominium... a neighbor went from apartment to apartment knocking on doors... killed a neighbor and injured others”, she replied very distressed.
—“Repeat the address," the journalist asked again. Again, the call dropped.
This situation generated doubts and several questions among the editorial staff "Will it be real?", "Will the person who called have mental problems?", "Has she also been stabbed?", "That only happens in the United States". The team coordinator was immediately called to report the situation, who gave the green light to follow up on the case and verify its veracity. Without wasting time, the team moved to the scene. As they approached, the tension became palpable. The flashing lights of patrol cars and ambulances illuminated the facade of the condominium. Chaos and disbelief were reflected in the faces of the neighbors and onlookers. The authorities had cordoned off the area, limiting access to the press. At the entrance of the building, the mayor of the National District, Carolina Mejía, was crying inconsolably. Minutes later, the First Lady Raquel Arbaje arrived, visibly affected. No one spoke in a loud voice, nor were any further details offered. Gazes sought solace, without finding it. "It was Willy... he went house to house attacking them," the neighbors murmured through gritted teeth, their faces still pale with fright. At 7:50 PM, the spokesperson for the National Police, Diego Pesqueira, confirmed what was already feared: a deceased woman and five people injured after a brutal knife attack inside the residential complex. The aggressor was identified as Jean Andrés Pumarol Fernández, 30 years old, a resident of the same condominium. According to preliminary reports, he had knocked on the doors of several apartments, attacking without saying a word. Among the injured is his own father. Yolanda Handal Habugabi, 70 years old, was the fatal victim of the attack.Injured:
Guillermo Ramón Pumarol Castellano, 62 years old (father of the aggressor) Francisco Texano, 68 years old (neighbor) Teresa Fabián Heredia, 70 years old (domestic employee of the deceased) Griselda Ozuna, 48 years old (neighbor) Victoria Heredia, 36 years old (neighbor) One of the building's workers reported that "I only heard screams... I went to the balcony and saw the running around". As astonishment invades everyone due to the news, the reason that drove Pumarol to commit the attack has not been revealed so far.
