A 26-year-old man was sentenced to prison this week for killing a 20-year-old neighbor in a dispute over a failed property deal. The shooting happened late Monday night in El Dorado, a neighborhood in Ciudad 18 de Mayo, Canelones.
What sparked the violence?
The two men knew each other from the area. Months earlier, the victim had sold the suspect rights to a house for 100,000 Uruguayan pesos (about $2,500). The buyer paid half upfront, with monthly installments of 7,000 pesos. But the deal collapsed when the actual property owner evicted the buyer for squatting.
After losing the house, the suspect demanded his money back. The two eventually agreed on repayment terms. But tensions boiled over when the buyer showed up at the victim’s home around 11 p.m. Monday with another man.
A fight turned deadly
An argument broke out between four people—witnesses reported punches thrown before the suspect pulled a gun. He shot the victim multiple times, including once in the chest, and wounded a friend who was hit in the knee and arm. The 20-year-old died hours later at Las Piedras Hospital.
Police arrested both the shooter and his companion, though the second man claimed he didn’t know about the weapon and was released. The gunman, now convicted of aggravated homicide and assault, will serve five and a half years behind bars.
Prosecutor Cecilia Gutiérrez noted the victim had been out of prison just two weeks before the shooting. No motive beyond the money dispute was cited.