The trial of the Civil Guard which caused the shooting death of a young man in psychotic crisis in Manzanares (Madrid) presented this Thursday the testimony of the forensic doctor, who judged “very probable” that the person indicted had shot from the front. , and not from behind, contrary to what an eyewitness to the events told the court last Tuesday.
One of the two bullets received by Diego Martínez-Conde in the early hours of September 20, 2020 penetrated his left thigh “from front to back, from top to bottom and from right to left”, as established by the doctor .
The court was very interested in knowing whether this was consistent with a shot in the back fired during the chase that occurred in the streets of Manzanares. The doctor said that “it is difficult to draw clear conclusions” when the attacker and the victim maintain “a dynamic position”, referring to the fact that they are in motion. “With two people standing, the shooting would have taken place, depending on the trajectory, face to face,” he added.
Three of the twelve civil guards who pursued Diego fired a total of six shots, two of them coming from the agent who hit Diego, one in the chain which caused a superficial wound and another in the thigh, which caused hemorrhage. death. “In terms of percentage, it is impossible to answer the question whether it could have been lateral or frontal,” explained the coroner.
A Manzanares resident, who saw the chase footage and shooting from the terrace of his home, said the guards were chasing Diego and when he did not stop at their demands, they started shooting. The court ordered the witness to stand up and imitate the victim’s movements. The defendant explained that after the shooting started, the victim turned around and jumped twice. The private prosecution, led by the family of the deceased young man, believes that this is consistent with the coroner’s findings and that the guards began shooting Diego in the back, hitting him as he turned around.
On the first day of the trial, the accused civil guard testified that he had only drawn his gun and fired when Diego attacked him with two small knives. “I had to save my life,” he said. The witness ruled out that Diego attacked one of the guards who were chasing him.
This Friday, two civil guards from the Criminalistics Department, dedicated to the chemical analysis of the remains of the victim’s clothing, also testified. These experts were also inconclusive. They said that among the particles analyzed from one of the shots, these would have been produced a meter and a half from the victim. Unable to specify whether he was two, three or four meters away, the agents in any case ruled out that their partner had fired at a distance of 10 meters or more.
Tomorrow, Friday, and after the presentation of the reports of the parties’ conclusions, the trial for reckless homicide against the Civil Guard will be heard for sentencing.
