The death of a young student at the Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco (UJAT) has once again raised alarm about police brutality. Rodrigo Isidro lost his life in his own car on November 14 while returning to his home in Villahermosa, the state capital, and was chased by agents of the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, who opened fire. Their relatives marched this Friday to highlight the responsibility of state security forces and demand justice. The Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that an investigation file had been opened to clarify the circumstances of the chase and shooting.
Rodrigo Isidro was studying to become a veterinarian. His routine consisted of going from home to UJAT classes or to a ranch to take care of livestock. Last week his father called him at 7.16pm. to ask what time they expected him home, and he replied that he was already on his way. When the minutes began to pass and he didn’t arrive, his family despaired. “I called him at 8pm, and I called him and called him until 1am,” his father, Lucio Isidro Álvarez, told the press. Rodrigo’s family, who began investigating his death alongside the authorities, assure that after that last call the student was chased by a state police patrol, who blocked his road and opened fire on him.
Lucio Isidro Álvarez explained to the media that his son’s body had three gunshot wounds: one in the neck, another in the chest and another in the hand. They learned about the police chase thanks to the testimonies of neighbors who saw how the patrol chased Rodrigo Isidro until he crashed into a lamppost. “My son was a good person, with many desires and projects. He had his own livestock, his own car, because since he was a child he worked to get his own money,” he said and asked citizens, if they have information, not to be intimidated by the police and to tell what they saw that night. “It’s not right, it’s not right that these people who have the duty and responsibility to take care of us deprive him of his life,” he concluded in front of the cameras. “Take care of your children, don’t let them go out because the vandals are on the street and they are the same police officers,” he added.
The Tabasco Prosecutor’s Office published a statement four days after the young man’s death, in which it ensured that an investigation file had been opened to clarify the circumstances of the murder. The fight for justice of Rodrigo Isidro’s parents joins that of other families who have denounced the excesses of the security forces, as happened last week to the relatives of Erick Omar Chávez. The 21-year-old young businessman was arbitrarily detained in Mexico City and died as a result of beatings inflicted by the police. There are three officers arrested over the attack, which was recorded on video. “The investigations continue to determine the police action and determine responsibility,” said the capital’s police, who fired the director who supervised the officers involved in the beating.
