Four Minors Reportedly Fired Shots in North Antofagasta

Carabineros detained four adolescents in Antofagasta after residents in the city’s northern sector reported gunfire late on Sunday, according to local media reports published on June 1. The incident was reported near the intersection of Río Lontué and Nicolás González, where officers from the 2nd Police Station and the Antofagasta Norte substation responded after multiple calls to the police communications center, known as CENCO. No injuries were reported. Police seized what local outlets described as a metal pistol and blank ammunition, which were sent for urgent examination by LABOCAR, Carabineros’ criminalistics unit. ### Where did the reported gunfire happen? Río Lontué and Nicolás González were identified by local outlets as the location of the police operation in Antofagasta’s northern sector. Diario Antofagasta reported that the response followed several calls from neighbors who said a group was firing into the air in the street. Antofagasta TV separately reported that the four detainees were between 15 and 17 years old. (diarioantofagasta.cl) The 22:00-hour time frame was cited by Diario Antofagasta, which said CENCO received multiple phone complaints before patrols moved in. The report said officers stopped and checked the suspects within minutes of the alert. ### Who was detained, and what did police seize? (diarioantofagasta.cl) Four adolescents were detained, according to Diario Antofagasta and Antofagasta TV. Antofagasta TV said the detainees had no prior records, though that detail was not independently confirmed in the Diario Antofagasta report surfaced in search results. A metal pistol and blank ammunition were seized during the operation, Diario Antofagasta reported. (diarioantofagasta.cl) The outlet said LABOCAR would test the items urgently to determine their potential to cause harm. That detail matters because Chilean police and prosecutors often distinguish between live firearms, modified weapons and blank-firing devices during charging decisions, though no formal charging document was available in the material reviewed. (antofagasta.tv) ### What have authorities said publicly so far? Carabineros units from the 2nd Police Station and the Antofagasta Norte substation were identified as the responding officers in the local reports. The available reporting did not include on-record statements from a named police spokesperson or prosecutor about this specific case beyond the description of the operation and the pending forensic review. (diarioantofagasta.cl) Antofagasta prosecutors have separately been investigating other shooting cases in the city’s northern sector in recent months. In an April 17 report about another shooting captured on video, Diario Antofagasta said the Fiscalía Regional de Antofagasta was working with LABOCAR and OS9 to identify those responsible. That earlier case was distinct from the June 1 detentions, but it shows that prosecutors and specialized police units were already active in the same broad area. (diarioantofagasta.cl) ### Why are neighbors in the area reacting strongly? Residents’ calls triggered the operation, according to Diario Antofagasta, which described the response as beginning with an “alerta temprana” from the neighborhood. The report said police treated the situation as an immediate risk to families in the surrounding blocks. (diarioantofagasta.cl) Antofagasta’s northern sector has appeared repeatedly in local crime coverage tied to shootings, armed confrontations and police investigations. Separate local reports in April and May described other gunfire incidents and operations against rival groups in the same part of the city, though those incidents involved different suspects and circumstances. (diarioantofagasta.cl) ### What remains unclear in the case? The seized weapon’s status remains unresolved pending LABOCAR testing. Diario Antofagasta reported that forensic examiners were tasked with determining the weapon’s “potential de daño,” and the public reporting reviewed did not say whether the adolescents had appeared before a juvenile court by Tuesday. (diarioantofagasta.cl) Any next public update is likely to come from Carabineros, the Fiscalía Regional de Antofagasta or a local court filing tied to juvenile proceedings. As of June 2, the clearest confirmed next step in the case was the urgent forensic examination of the pistol and blank ammunition seized at Río Lontué and Nicolás González. (diarioantofagasta.cl)