The officer responsible for killing a 16-year-old graffiti artist was removed from his position, Colombian media reported.
The police inspector general announced that after a preliminary investigation, the police were able to identify the officer who is now being investigated by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
According to official reports, police officers responded to a call of four youths, on of them armed, robbing a bus. When the police arrived at the scene, they began pursuing Diego Felipe Becerra, 16, and the other suspected robbers. When Becerra went to hide, an officer shot him once in the back. He died on the way to the hospital.
There have been several unanswered questions surrounding the August 20 slaying of Becerra. The testimony of the bus driver and the autopsy report have shed some light on the death.
Newspaper El Espectador reported that the bus driver believes that Becerra was the one holding the gun. “I saw his face in the newspaper and it seems that I saw him through the glass [of the bus window] and he told me to move slowly or he would shoot,” said the driver who wished to remain unidentified.
According to autopsy reports, the officer who shot Becerra was standing less than six feet away. The report also showed that he had paint on his hand, confirming his family’s testimony.
The police inspector general assured the public that “justice will prevail… [the police] regret the death of the youth Diego Felipe Becerra and extend solidarity to family members and friends.”
