A 54-year-old man died early Monday in the Las Compañías area of La Serena (Coquimbo region) after being shot with a shotgun. According to preliminary information, he had forcibly entered a home near La Paz Avenue intending to steal a hen.
According to CNN Chile, the homeowner, a 73-year-old man, used a shotgun to shoot him. The Homicide Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI) took charge of the case and arrested the homeowner.
After being wounded, the 54-year-old man managed to leave the home and walk a few meters before collapsing in the street. Emergency Medical Assistance Service (SAMU) teams arrived at the scene, but he died from the injuries caused by the shotgun pellets.
The accounts differ on one detail. CNN Chile reported that the victim died despite SAMU's arrival, while BioBioChile said personnel took him to the emergency department, where he was already dead.
Detectives gathered information at the scene and recorded witnesses' details, meaning they identified and registered people who may have seen or heard what happened. Following those initial investigative steps, they arrested the homeowner.
According to both outlets, the detainee will be brought before the Guarantee Court on a homicide allegation. At that hearing, the judge reviews the legality of the arrest, and the Prosecutor's Office may formally notify him that he is being investigated for a crime. Precautionary measures, such as pretrial detention, may also be discussed.
For now, the 73-year-old man is only under arrest and is presumed innocent. The sources do not report the case number (RUC or RIT, the codes used by the Prosecutor's Office and the courts to identify each case), the prosecutor's office handling the case, or the identities of those involved.
The investigation must establish the exact sequence of events and any criminal responsibility. The next step is the hearing to review the legality of the arrest before the La Serena Guarantee Court, whose outcome is not yet known.
