Protesters and police clash in Lima, Peru, during the national march against the unelected president, José Jerí, and the corrupt Congress, October 15, 2025. Photo: Martín Mejía/AP.
The 28-year-old Peruvian Luis Reyes Rodríguez is in critical condition after being shot in the head during the national march in Lima on Wednesday, October 15. The march protested against the unelected president José Jerí and the corrupt Congress.
According to Peruvian media, doctors at Loayza Hospital made the decision to put him in an induced coma after diagnosing him with severe traumatic brain injury caused by a gunshot wound, allegedly inflicted by police officers during the crackdown on the mobilization.
📢Luis Rodríguez, un joven cajabambino de 28 años, quedó con una fractura en el cráneo tras ser atacado con un proyectil de arma de fuego durante la protesta en Lima del 15 de octubre.
El también músico y productor conocido como “Flipown” se encuentra en estado de coma en el… pic.twitter.com/u1wk31rJRW
— 🇵🇪 Wayka (@WaykaPeru) October 16, 2025
During the march, the protesters also demanded criminal action against the former de facto President Dina Boluarte, who was responsible for numerous crimes against indigenous community members and civilians during the protests following the parliamentary coup against the elected President Pedro Castillo.
Herli Rodríguez, the aunt of Luis Reyes Rodríguez, reported that doctors informed her that part of Luis Reyes’s brain had been destroyed and was beyond recovery. “They have put him in a medically induced coma to protect him until they can operate,” she said.
The family stated that since the night of the incident, no government authority or official from the Interior Ministry has offered support or explanation of any kind.
Luis Reyes Rodríguez remains in the Intensive Care Unit, on a ventilator, while doctors at Loayza Hospital consider the possibility of performing urgent surgery. His family and loved ones are gathered around the hospital, holding vigils of support.
“We want to know who attacked him and why he was attacked when he was only protesting. We do not want this to go unpunished,” his mother declared, visibly distraught.
Parliamentarian Jaime Quito, from the socialist bloc, arrived at the hospital and demanded that an investigation be opened immediately. “Those who must be held accountable are in the government. We cannot allow innocent citizens to end up in a coma or lose their lives for exercising their right to protest,” he declared.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsperson’s Office oversaw the medical care that Reyes Rodríguez receives. In a statement, the agency reported that it had “intervened to ensure free medical care and postoperative medications.” It further reported that the Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the circumstances that led to the protester’s emergency admission.
The case of Luis Reyes Rodríguez adds to the murder of the young musician Eduardo Ruiz Sáenz, who was shot by Sub-Officer Luis Magallanes during the same protest, as confirmed by the general commander of the Police, Óscar Arriola.
This occurs amid an atmosphere of tension. President José Jerí, who took office on an interim basis after serving as speaker of Congress, heads a right-wing government that various sectors have accused of intensifying repression.
Jerí’s rise and that of his cabinet symbolize the consolidation of the right in power, which is reflected in the parliament’s endorsement of police actions and in the official discourse that seeks to blame the left for “infiltrating protests with anarchists and agitators” to justify the violence of the security forces.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
