2006 San Miguel shooting | |
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Location | La Primera de Grand Bourg San Miguel, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Date | 3 May 2006 10:00 a.m. ( ART; UTC−03:00) |
Attack type | Mass shooting, workplace shooting |
Weapons | 9mm semi-automatic pistol |
Deaths | 2 |
Injured | 5 (4 by gunfire) |
Perpetrator | Eugenio Villela |
Motive | Economic problems |
On 3 May 2006, a mass shooting occurred at a bus company in San Miguel, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Former employee, 55-year-old Eugenio Villela, opened fire on his past co-workers, killing two people and wounding four others before fleeing the scene. He later surrendered to authorities and was sentenced to 32 years in prison in 2009.
At 10:00 a.m. ( UTC−03:00; ART) on 3 May 2006, Eugenio Villela drove to the La Primera de Grand Bourg bus company in his Ford Fiesta. [1] [2] He greeted his former co-workers on the ground floor before traveling to the first floor, where senior employees were meeting to discuss company issues. [1] Villela entered the meeting room and opened fire on those inside with a 9mm pistol, firing thirteen shots. [1] After the shooting, Villela fled the scene by foot and went to his brother-in-law's house, where he attacked and injured his brother-in-law. [3] [4] Villela then drove to the local police station and surrendered. [1] [3]
Six people were shot in the attack; treasurer Pablo Galazzo died instantly, while accountant Isaac López died at a hospital from his injuries. [1] Four other people were severely wounded and transported to hospital, where they recovered from their injuries. [1]
The shooter was identified as 55-year-old Eugenio Villela, a former employee of La Primera de Grand Bourg who had served as a manager before selling his shares and leaving the company in December 2005. [1] [5] During his time with the business, his co-workers noted him to be an aggressive man who acted violently and yelled at people, but was sometimes depressed. [1] Villela was allegedly owed Arg$800,000 for selling eight buses after he left the company, but was told by his former colleagues that he would not receive the money. [3] This was reportedly his motive for the shooting. [3]
On 4 May, Villela was transported to court, having been charged with two counts of homicide, four counts of attempted homicide, and illegally carrying a weapon of war. [3] [6] He stated that he did not remember the attack and that he had intended to return the pistol used in the shooting to the company. [3] [6] Villela also said that he had no debt with the company. [7] A psychiatric test was performed on the day of the shooting, as well as blood and urine samples, which determined that Villela was not intoxicated at the time of the attack. [1]
In 2009, Villela underwent trial in the Oral Criminal Court 4 of San Martín. [8] His defense argued that Villela was mentally ill at the time of the attack and could not comprehend his actions. [8] Those wounded in the shooting testified that Villela had shot them, with then-treasurer José Laborde stating that Villela had threatened his colleagues when he left the company. [8] A woman also testified that she saw Villela admit to the crime as he surrendered. [8] Psychologists and psychiatrists testified that Villela had no mental disorders and understood what he did. [8] On 25 March, Villela was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to 32 years in prison. [2] [8] Prosecutors had sought 40 years' imprisonment, but the jury lessened Villela's sentence because of his lack of criminal activity prior to the attack. [8]