14ymedio, Havana, 16 February 2022 — Roldy Polo Pérez, a musician living in Baracoa, died of gunshot wounds to the abdomen this Tuesday in Vega Larga, a town in that municipality in the province of Guantánamo.
As explained by his acquaintances through social networks, the person responsible was a police officer who allegedly argued with the 45-year-old artist in the middle of his own birthday party and shot him in the abdomen. The name and photo of the alleged murderer are circulating on social networks among the singer’s acquaintances.
The official press, after the information was published in independent media, confirmed the news, publishing a statement from the Ministry of the Interior that pointed out that the aggressor was “an officer of the PNR [National Revolutionary Police] who was not on duty” and that he caused the death of Polo Pérez “with his regulation weapon,” after holding “a heated discussion due to personal problems and under the influence of the ingestion of alcoholic beverages.”.
According to this note, the accused is under arrest. The friends and relatives of the victim had demanded on the networks, precisely that the murder not go unpunished due to the fact that a member of the Cuban Police was involved.
“It is absurd to manipulate and invent versions that have nothing to do with reality, to try to affect the image of the PNR and opportunistically attack the Revolution through subversive enemy means on social networks,” the statement concludes.
The ADN media had access to a video in which the brother of the deceased insisted on holding the official responsible: “They have already killed another by shooting him in the back.” A companion who appears in the images also maintains that when they called the hospital to notify them, no one answered them and, when they finally did, the center told them that the ambulance was broken.
Roldy Polo worked at the Cecilio Gómez Lambert Municipal House of Culture as a promoter, and the staff of that facility has spoken through another of their workers, Liditania Gómez.
“What sad news and we send our condolences to your family and friends on behalf of the Board of Directors of the House of Culture,” he said.
Yunieski Urgellés Rodríguez, sound engineer at Radio Baracoa, also said goodbye to his colleague. “With deep pain we received the unpleasant news that our friend, partner and brother, Roldis Polo Pérez, passed away. The Baracoa culture is in mourning, our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace brother, we Cabacú promoters will never forget you.”
The murder occurs a few days after that of Andy Rencurrel, 30, stabbed last Friday in the Luyanó neighborhood of the Diez de Octubre municipality, presumably due to a dispute over the illegal market for satellite dishes.
Malcolm Álvarez Espinosa was also stabbed to death at the door of his house in Centro Habana last Wednesday. Crime seems to have increased in Cuba in recent months, judging by the wave of murders and robberies and thefts with violence reported through social networks. It is not ruled out, however, that these events have simply come to light with the new avenue offered by the technologies as an alternative to the official media that try to hide this type of news.
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