Police kill former ERD member in operation; family questions official version

Barahona, RD. — A young man identified as Fausto Antonio Santana Sánchez, alias “Jimmy” or “the guard”, died on the morning of this Thursday after being shot during a police operation carried out in the Camboya neighborhood of this municipality, in circumstances that are still generating controversy. Santana Sánchez, 28 years old and a member of the Dominican Republic Army (ERD), was shot dead inside a residence while authorities were carrying out a joint operation with the participation of the Public Ministry and multiple security agencies, including the National Police, Dicrim and DNCD.

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The Southern Regional Police Directorate reported in a press conference that the deceased was wanted with at least three arrest warrants for various criminal acts. According to the official version, the young man barricaded himself in one of the rooms of the house and resisted arrest. However, it was not clearly explained under what circumstances the shot that ended his life occurred. After receiving the impact, Santana was transferred by the same agents to the Jaime Mota Regional University Hospital, where he was declared dead and subsequently taken to the morgue. During the operation, authorities presented seized evidence including a pistol, a revolver, knives, machetes, controlled substances —presumably marijuana and cocaine—, cash, among other objects. Several individuals were also detained for investigation purposes. However, the deceased's family and local residents reject the police version and defend the young man's integrity, questioning the use of lethal force by the officers. From the early hours of the morning until almost 10:00 a.m., a large military-police operation was deployed in sectors such as Pueblo Nuevo, Alto Velo, Savica, La Raqueta, Los Callejones, Palmarito, Barracones de Jabid and others, as part of a strategy to combat crime and dismantle gangs in the municipality. To date, more than ten people have lost their lives this year in incidents linked to violence in Barahona, while the number in the entire province is even higher, according to unofficial data.