Luis Alberto “Betito” Suárez published a message on Instagram this Thursday morning after leaving Maciel Hospital in the old city, without the medical discharge and against the decision of the professionals who attended him. It’s a remarkable turn of events, especially considering what he’s just been through.
The Incident
Suárez had been shot on Wednesday night at the door of a hill supermarket. He was taken to the hospital of the hill where he was operated urgently by a gunshot wound in the abdomen. From there, he was transferred to the Maciel Hospital, in the Vieja City, where he left at dawn, without medical authorization. This sequence of events raises several questions about the circumstances surrounding his departure from the hospital.
A Message of Defiance
“Do not send children to do men’s things,” Suárez wrote on the social network about a photo in which he appears smiling and with a mate in his hand. The photo was added at 05:23 am, and the message was published as an Instagram story, which remains visible for 24 hours. This public statement comes after a harrowing experience, where Suárez was shot and had to undergo emergency surgery.
The details of the incident are chilling. Suárez was accompanied by other people at the Puerta del Comercio and Egypt and Berna Street when a black motorcycle passed and they shot at Suárez and the other people. According to police records, there were more than 30 shots. Suárez was injured and transferred to the hospital of the hill in a taxi, a desperate bid to save his life.
It’s a story that not only highlights the violence that Suárez faced but also his resilience in the face of such brutality. His decision to leave the hospital without medical clearance and then post a defiant message on social media suggests a determination to not be intimidated by the attack. As the situation continues to unfold, it will be important to watch how it develops and what it might reveal about the broader context of violence and response in the area.