MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayan mayor dies after days in ICU following attack by hitmen

The victim was buried in Brazil

The Paraguayan Department of Amambay has declared three days of mourning following the death of José Carlos Acevedo, mayor of the city of Pedro Juan Caballero (PJC), and brother of Amambay's Governor Ronald Acevedo, who signed the decree.

The victim had been attacked by hitmen on MAY 17, taking seven bullets, which left him in an irreversible state despite doctors' efforts. José Carlos Acevedo served the country in his role as communal chief for four consecutive periods.

On May 22, 23, and 24, flags must fly at half-mast.

Acevedo died around 10:20 p.m. Saturday while in intensive care and under an induced coma for several days. He received seven bullet impacts in the upper part of the body, two located in the right arm, one in the left, and four of them at the level of the neck.

National Police and Public Prosecutor's Office sources confirmed the bullets stemmed from a gun already retrieved in 2017, after being involved in another homicide. It belonged to Fernando Javier Lezcano, alias Gordo, who was murdered in Pedro Juan Caballero.

After touring PJC's City Hall, Radio Amambay, and a local parish, Acevedo's remains were taken to Ponta Porã, Brazil, where they were laid to rest. Hundreds accompanied the funeral procession of the liberal politician. Also, fire trucks, patrol cars, and motorcyclists were present. The burial took place at around 5.45 p.m. Sunday.

According to the closed-circuit videos, the hitmen were in a car and started shooting. Three shooters were seen while a fourth member of the group was at the vehicle's wheel.

The car was found hours later fully burned down.

The mayor of Pedro Juan was going for his fourth term. Since 2006 he was at the head of the Municipality of Pedro Juan Caballero. He was charged in 2020, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, for resistance and violation of quarantine confinement.

Last year, his niece, the daughter of the governor of Amambay, Haylee Carolina Acevedo, and three other people were shot dead in what was reported to be a dispute between drug local trafficking gangs.

Read also: Paraguayan mayor in critical condition after taking 7 shots