In dramatic scenes captured by CCTV cameras, a national lawmaker and a La Rioja provincial government officer were shot early this morning (Thursday, May 9) in the vicinity of the National Congress building.
Héctor Olivares, a national deputy for La Rioja (UCR-Radical), was shot and injured in the attack, carried out by two men from a nearby parked car.
Olivares was rushed to the Ramos Mejía Hospital and immediately went into surgery. His condition at present is unknown, although some outlets reported that he was "gravely injured."
Another man, later identified as Miguel Marcelo Yadón, a transport employee of the La Rioja provincial government, died from the injuries he sustained in the attack in an ambulanace on the way to the same hospital.
The attack
The Security Ministry released a video of the shooting at a press conference later this afternoon, which was captured by security cameras. See the incident below:
In the video, recorded at 6.50am local time, a car can be seen parked behind a bus, waiting with the lights on.
Seconds later, as Olivares and Yadón walk by on the street, shots are fired, apparently from inside the stationary vehicle.
The two men fall to the ground due to their injuries, but the attackers don't immediately flee the scene. One gets out of the car, and far from being rushed, seems to wait a few seconds. The second attacker then gets out for a look too, as Olivares slowly tries to get away.
The lower house deputy then sits down on the kerb, yet the attackers decide not to kill him. The attackers then drive away.
The two men, who the Télam news agency said had been friends since their teenage years, were shot at least six times, government officials said.
Reaction
Reaction to the shooting, carried out in broad daylight, was thick and fast, with many politicians rushing out to condemn the brazen attack.
President Mauricio Macri later said that doctors were trying to save Olivares' life and he expressed condolences to Yadón's family.
"We're moved by this attack," Macri said in a televised address. "We're praying for Héctor's life...We will do everything to find out what happened and find out who is guilty of this."
As Macri spoke, authorities wearing white jumpsuits collected evidence at the crime scene, where a tree had been pierced by bullets.
Security Minister Patricia Bullrich later hosted a press conference, providing an update.
"Thank God the deputy was not killed," she remarked.
Context
"We're going through a very said and tough moment, especially because it confirms the presence of mafias in our country," added Bullrich.
"Yadón was killed from a car that was waiting for him," she said. "They shoot the main target, which was Yadón, they achieved murdering him, and having had the opportunity to murder Olivares, they decided not to kill him."
Bullrich said that authorities found the car used in the crime and that they have identified the suspects, but would not release any information until they are captured.
Officials later confirmed that Yadón was a coordinator who works in the fiduciary of federal electric transportation for the La Rioja Province government.
Olivares, who is aligned with the Cambiemos government coalition, is also part of the transportation committee in the lower house. Before the attack, he had been discussing a bill to tackle Argentina's infamous barra brava hooligan gangs.
Attacks on politicians are unusual in Argentina, despite many other countries in Latin America suffering from such events.
- TIMES/PERFIL/AP
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