The Bolivian soldier who shot Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara in 1967 has died at the age of 80. Mario Téran described the execution of the guerrilla leader in later years as “the worst moment of his life”. Téran died in a military hospital in Bolivia after a long illness.
The soldier executed Guevara on October 9, 1967 in a school in the Bolivian town of La Higuera. The legendary revolutionary and guerrilla leader was in Bolivia to lead an uprising, as he had previously done with Fidel Castro in Cuba and later, with less success, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘Worst moment’
A day before his death, Che Guevara had been captured after a battle with a Bolivian army unit. He was injured in his leg. When the order came from the capital that the guerrilla leader should be executed, Téran was assigned to fire the shot.
He later described to a reporter how difficult the task was for him. “It was the worst moment of my life. Che looked very big, huge. His eyes were shining brightly. When he looked at me, I became dizzy. I thought Che could take my weapon with one swift movement. ‘Be calm’, he said to me, “and aim well! you’re going to kill a man!” Then I took a step back, I closed my eyes and I fired.”
According to biographers of Che Guevara, the first shots were not fatal, but the revolutionary was only killed after several shots.
‘Courageous man’
Gary Prado Salmón, who led the operation against Guevara insurgents at the time, calls Terán a brave man. “He voluntarily carried out an order that came from the president,” the former general told a Bolivian radio station in response to Terán’s death. “He was just doing his duty as a sergeant in the army.”
The famous photo of Che Guevara is still a popular symbol. This video from NOS op3 from 2017 explains how the charismatic man could become a cult hero:
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