Mexico City's Investigation Attorney General Police Shoots University Student During Violent Exchange

Outside the Faculty of Philosophy in Mexico City’s autonomous university, UNAM, a policeman from the Investigation Attorney General Office fired a gunshot at a student around 1.00 pm. Reportedly, when students left the “Che Guevara” auditorium, they saw a silver Nissan car with four people–two men and two women–on board taking pictures of the area, supposedly to investigate a robbery. When one of the students asked what they were for, one of the policemen the exchange got violent and the policeman fired at least 10 gunshots.

The university’s police, however, helped protect the agent, identified as Luis Javier Aguiñaga Saavedra, from being brutally attacked by the students, while the other three passengers of the car fled the scene in a taxi, leaving the vehicle abandoned at the scene. The student hurt by the gunshot was superficially injured due to one of the bullets gracing his leg. On the other hand, agent Aguiñaga Saavedra remains in critical condition after being beat up by the students. The hospital where he is being treated reports a skull fracture as one of the most delicate injuries he’s being treated for.

The agent is in the hospital and remains under arrest as well until the investigation is concluded. “These public servers were physically and verbally attacked by a group of approximately 20 people who were pretending to stop them. The police officer said he attempted to fire shots in the air to prevent the attack but a man ended up getting hurt,” said the Attorney General’s Office in a statement.

UNAM’s Faculty of Philosophy released a statement as well, explain how the confrontation happened step-by-step and concluded by saying, “The National University deeply laments the violent events and has asked that it is completely delimited of any responsibility corresponding to the events.” In light of the current crisis the country's going through with the missing students from Ayotzinapa, student-related violence is a delicate matter at this time, but in this case, it seems the students went violent on the agent who was just there to investigate a reported phone theft.