The prosecutor of the State of Coahuila, in northern Mexico, has confirmed the arrest of José Ángel, the grandfather of the 11-year-old student who shot his teacher at the Cervantes de Torreón School. Hours earlier, the entity’s attorney general, Gerardo Márquez, had reported that the weapons used were owned by the grandfather, who did not have permission to carry them. In the attack six people were injured, before the young man committed suicide. This Monday classes were resumed in this industrial region under a strong security device.
Marquez said that José Ángel, the student’s namesake, is accused of omission in the wrongful killing of teacher María Assaf, having been negligent in the use of weapons that the child took to school. Mexican authorities added that the weapons were in the young man’s family home and that it was there that he could access them. They reported that they investigate how the boy’s grandfather got the artifacts. The prosecution points out that they can be of size 22 – which are acquired with the permission of the corresponding authorities – and of size 40, whose access is restricted and for the exclusive use of security officers. The prosecutor reported that they still expect to take statements from the young man’s grandfather, within the investigation they are carrying out to clarify the attack on Colegio Cervantes.
Last Friday, José Ángel, a sixth grade student, entered his school with both weapons. The young man asked his teacher for permission to go to the bathroom, where he left with his weapons loaded and He shot an English teacher, Maria Assaf, a physical education instructor and five students. Ms. Assaf died from the bullet impacts she received on the head and chest, the prosecution said. Assaf’s funerals were organized on Sunday, with the assistance of dozens of people who see her as a hero because they believe she avoided a massacre. Prosecutor Márquez explained that they study the psychological profile of José Ángel, to determine the reasons that led him to commit the crime. The funeral of the young man was carried out Sunday with hermetism in Torreón. Three of the six wounded were also discharged on Sunday morning, while the rest are still hospitalized, but out of danger, officials from the local hospital where they are receiving medical attention said.
As the investigations progress, classes resumed in the metropolitan area known as La Laguna – to which Torreón belongs – with strong security devices. In the Spain School, located one block from the Cervantes College, officers from the National Guard and the Federal Police were mobilized, guarding the streets near this educational institution. The school day began with the implementation of the controversial ‘Operation Backpack’, which consists of the registration of student bags. Flor Rentería, coordinator of educational services in the region of La Laguna, said this measure was taken with the consent of parents and affects 1,300 schools, where about 200,000 young people study.
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