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This November 17, the Sixth Oral Criminal Trial Court of Santiago issued a verdict that shook the perception of justice in the community. Leonel Alejandro Contreras Canales was found guilty of the completed crime of simple homicide, an event that triggered a host of questions about the use of force and responsibility in the exercise of the law.
The details of the incident on June 13, 2021, in the commune of La Granja, paint a heartbreaking picture. Officials from the Metropolitan Homicide Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI) were carrying out errands when they spotted a car that could be linked to a crime in Puente Alto. What followed was an identity check attempt that set off a series of tragic events.
The official story indicates a moment of extreme tension: a vehicle trying to flee, weapons drawn and, in the midst of that chaos, a fatal shot. Sub-inspector Valeria Vivanco Carú, an officer who was fulfilling her duty, was mortally wounded by the shot fired by Contreras Canales.
The facts:
The court came to the conclusion, beyond all reasonable doubt, that at approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 13, 2021, officials of the Metropolitan Homicide Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI), Deputy Commissioner Felipe Gallardo Araya , sub-inspector Valeria Vivanco Carú, sub-inspector María Norambuena Urra and detective Leonel Alejandro Contreras Canales carried out police procedures aboard a vehicle, in the commune of La Granja. Commune in which they observed a Kia brand car, Rio 5 model, white, manned by two subjects that could be related to a homicide crime committed in the Puente Alto commune.
“Given this situation, they followed it through several streets of the commune until they decided to carry out an identity check on its occupants at the intersection of Santo Tomas Street and Las Parcelas. In these circumstances, officer Gallardo, who was driving the vehicle, intervened in front of the vehicle that they would inspect diagonally, trying to prevent said car from continuing to advance. Given this, sub-inspector Valeria Vivanco gets down from the co-pilot seat where she was and the same does detective Contreras Canales who was sitting as a passenger behind her, both with their identification plates and their service weapons drawn and drawn, requesting that the occupants of the vehicle alight to carry out the respective identity check. In these circumstances, the driver of the controlled vehicle accelerates unexpectedly to flee the scene, at which time, without there being a real threat or imminent danger to the safety of any of the police officers or without sufficient cause or motive, Detective Leonel Contreras Canales proceeded. to fire a shot with his prosecutor’s pistol, hitting sub-inspector Valeria Vivanco Carú, who was injured in her thoracic area with the entry and exit of a projectile, injuries that later caused her death,” the deliberation record states.
Reflection after this court ruling is crucial. At what point does law enforcement become a risk to citizen safety? How can we ensure that the use of force is always justified and proportional to the situation? This verdict highlights the importance of a critical review of police protocols and training to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Justice must be a balance between the protection of society and the integrity of those who enforce the law. This case reveals cracks in that balance, calling for a deep evaluation of the processes and practices within the security forces.
The date of the hearing to communicate the sentence is marked on the calendar, but beyond this event, there remains the imperative task of analyzing and reforming those aspects that can prevent incidents like this from being repeated.
The hope is that, from these tragedies, a stronger commitment to justice, transparency and respect for life will emerge, fundamental pillars for building a safer and fairer society for all.
