Antonia Martínez
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Antonia Martínez Lagares was a 21 year old student at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, native of Arecibo. She was expected to graduate in Pedagogy.
On March 4, 1970, during conflicts caused when the Fuerza de Choque (similar to a US Police SWAT team) was dispatched to the Campus of Río Piedras of UPR to intervene against protesting students, Antonia looked from her lodging's balcony, on the second floor above Ponce de León Avenue, while police officers beat down other fellow students, she shouted at them "asesinos" (Assassins!). One of the police officers looked up at the balcony, took out his gun and shot her. The bullet pierced her head and injured in the neck another student that was with her. Antonia died soon after at Auxilio Mutuo hospital.
Celestino Santiago, the other wounded student, told the events and indentified some of the present police officers. After that, a police officer was accused, but was absolved on trial.
Later on, on the declarations of some police agents to the Senatorial Juridical Commission of Puerto Rico on the investigations of the Cerro Maravilla Incident case, a police agent denounced the cover-up by the Police Department and the FBI of the murder of Antonia Martínez, declaring that in order to cover the case, a police officer that had nothing to do with it was accused so he'd be absolved. The murderer was protected and has never been tried before a court for this crime.
Her death had a meaningful influence in those years' pop culture, and was taken as a symbol of Police abuse and oppression.
[edit] External links
- Comisión por la Verdad y la Justicia (in Spanish)
