Violence during the long San Sebastian Street Festival weekend in Old San Juan, the best-known festival in Puerto Rico, left 13 people dead.
Island police announced Tuesday that the 13 killings raise to 44 the number of murders so far in 2013, albeit that total is 13 less than the number of people killed by the same date last year.
One of those killed was Julio Ramos, 32, who was gunned down before hundreds of people who had gathered early Sunday morning in San Juan’s historic district for the street festival.
Ramos, a fisherman, was shot from close range in the mouth and back of the neck after he apparently got into an argument with a man on Quinto Centenario Square, the local press reported.
Capital Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said that about 25 police officers were deployed on that square at the time of the shooting, and about 1,000 officers had been stationed around Old San Juan for the festival.
About 400,000 people attended the popular San Sebastian celebration, and the sheer size of the crowd caused traffic problems and resulted in a number of robberies and altercations, not to mention a large accumulation of trash.
