A shooting around 11:25 PM. Monday outside Pizzería Pajuil on Road PR-653, in the Barranca sector of Hato Abajo barrio in Arecibo, left two men dead and two others wounded, according to Puerto Rico Police. Preliminary reports indicate several people were gathered at the location when unidentified individuals approached and fired multiple shots before fleeing.
One of the deceased was identified as Raúl Méndez Román, 41, a resident of Arecibo; the second victim had not been identified at the time of the investigation. The two wounded men, ages 58 and 49, were taken to a nearby hospital and were reported in stable condition. Officer Juan Montalvo Pérez of the Arecibo Precinct conducted the preliminary investigation.
The case was later taken over by Agent Joyce Moody Gonzáles of the Homicide Division of the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (CIC) in Arecibo, under the supervision of Sergeant Rita Rosado, working alongside prosecutor Daisy Quintero. The prosecutor ordered the removal of the bodies and their transfer to the Institute of Forensic Sciences.