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2h ago

Officer Faces Jury Trial in Killing of 10-Year-Old Bastián Escalante

Prosecutors plan to center their case on ballistic findings that tie eight recovered bullets to the officer’s 9 mm pistol.

Bastián Escalante junto a su mamá, Johana Montoya, el día de la promesa a la bandera.
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Overview

  • Proceedings begin Monday before a popular jury at Tribunal Criminal N°4 in Avellaneda, with jury selection and opening statements scheduled.
  • Buenos Aires provincial officer Juan Alberto García Tonzo arrives in custody to face a charge of homicidio con dolo eventual.
  • Ballistics from the Dirección General de Policía Científica attribute eight projectiles to García Tonzo’s Bersa 9 mm and describe flat‑nose ammunition classified as prohibited along with an abnormal firing mechanism.
  • The victim’s family, represented by attorney Matías Morla, seeks a life sentence and asks jurors to apply an aggravating factor for a crime committed by a member of a security force.
  • The case stems from a July 10, 2024 shooting in Wilde in which two shots struck Bastián, who died the next day, as the prosecution and querella contend the alleged robbers were unarmed and already fleeing.