An 11-year-old boy, Ismael Enrique Rodríguez Pulgarín, lost his life in an armed attack on prison officials in Neiva, leaving the community in mourning. The incident took place on Monday morning in the south of the city, where two men on a motorcycle fired at a private vehicle. The family and neighbors organized vigils and caravans to honor his memory and demand justice.
The tragedy shook Neiva this week with a hitman attack targeting the director of the Medium Security Prison and Jail Center, Edgar Enrique Rodríguez Muñoz, and the subdirector, Renato Solano Osorio. The event occurred around 6:53 a.m. in the Jardines del Paraíso sector, south of the city. Two men on a motorcycle opened fire on the vehicle they were traveling in, hitting it at least six times.
Among the collateral victims was Ismael Enrique Rodríguez Pulgarín, an 11-year-old boy known as the 'miracle boy,' who died from his injuries. His father, Edgar Rodríguez, and mother, Angélica Pulgarín, expressed their grief and called on the community for a dignified farewell.
In response, relatives organized a vigil in the Santa Teresa de Calcuta parish, where attendees prayed for the boy's soul and for peace. Later, the 'Caravan for Life' took place, with participants dressed in white parading through the main streets with balloons and flowers, rejecting the violence that ended Ismael's childhood. Family and friends surrounded his coffin in a farewell filled with tears and hugs, turning the boy into a symbol of innocent victims of crime in the region.
This incident highlights the ongoing threat of violence in communities like Neiva, where attacks on public officials impact innocent civilians.
