MASSACRE IN MONTEVERDE:
Small Town
Tries to Return to Normal
Calm and tranquility returned to
small town Santa Elena de Monteverde following some 28 hours of violence
that resulted in 9 deaths and dozens injured when four men attempted to
rob the local branch of the Banco Nacional.
The events unfolded almost immediately after 3:30pm on Tuesday as the
bank assailants were met with gunfire from the bank security guards, who
killed two of the assailants outside the building.
Once inside, the two remaining assailants held some 17 people -
customers and bank employees - inside the bank hostage while police
outside waited patiently until they stormed the building about 1:30pm on
Wednesday to free the remaining hostage, while the last of the assailant
holed himself up with a hostage before releasing her and giving himself
up at 7:40pm.
Investigators, once inside the building, began the gruesome task of
putting the pieces together of what had happened during the last 28
hours.
More than 700 bullets had been fired. Police found that one of the
bodies inside the building had been one of the assailants, but that was
not the case. In total six customers and employees of the bank had died
in the initial shootings and not five as originally thought.
Of the four assailants, three were brothers.
Erlin Hurtado
Martínez, who surrendered himself,
had seen his two brothers die outside the bank moments when they
attempted the assault. A fourth fled the scene - police are being tight
lipped about that - and is being sought.
The three brothers were well known to police and are tied to some 18
crimes that police have been investigating, including three murders.
Erlinwill be facing 7 counts of murder in addition to kidnapping and
other charges that the Fiscalía has yet to announce. The three brothers
were Nicaraguan nationals, though Erlini was born in Guanacaste.
The Banco Nacional announced late yesterday afternoon that it has a
special compensation fund available for the families of the dead
employees, who will receive up to ¢30 million colones (us$65.000
dollars). The families of the customers of the bank who were also killed
will be receiving compensation, though the amount wasn't disclosed.
Today, Friday, the families of the victims are busy with burying their
loved ones, as funerals are being held in various parts of the province
of Puntarenas, in small towns where the victims originated.
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