Overview
- Aponte was shot while campaigning in a Caraz market on Saturday, Sept. 19, and died en route to hospital; at least five other people were wounded and treated at local centers.
- Police detained multiple suspects in the hours after the attack, and the prosecutor and national prosecutor Tomás Gálvez said three people are held so far, including the alleged shooter Luis Iván Obispo Díaz, who was found with a firearm.
- The Ministerio Público reassigned the probe to the Second Provincial Criminal Office of Huaylas and reclassified the case under a presumption of sicariato, ordering a necropsy, absorption-atomic firearm tests, and review of hotel and street camera footage.
- Aponte had publicly reported death threats days before the attack, claiming calls from prisons and alleging ties to a senior police investigator, and authorities have reassigned several police officials while political groups demand accountability.
- Video of the shooting spread quickly online and press groups called for a transparent inquiry, raising immediate concerns about candidate and journalist safety ahead of the Oct. 4 regional elections and possible wider scrutiny of police links to criminal networks.