Police officer brought into custody over death of young Mapuche activist

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TEMUCO.- In the midst of an investigation into the death of 22 year-old Mapuche activist Matías Catrileo, Public Attorney José Aparicio has brought charges against 30 year-old police officer Walter Ramírez Espinoza. Ramírez Espinoza has been indicted and taken into custody.

A second police officer that took part in the incident was released due to the fact that he had fired tear gas, which has no connection to the death of a young man belonging to the Arauco Malleco Mapuche Group.

The report from the autopsy that was performed on the young man's body unleashed a dispute regarding the bullet path that led to his death.

The Legal Medical Service (SML) concluded that the bullet, which came from an UZI submachine gun, had entered the man's pointer finger bone, pierced his lung located on the same side of his body and then exited through his back near the lower shoulder blade.

However, the report issued by criminal forensics experts for the Homicide Investigation department of the police concluded that the bullet had traveled in the exact opposite direction. Nevertheless, for all legal purposes, the first report will be considered valid.