A young Cuban man was fatally shot in the early hours of Sunday in Songo La Maya, Santiago de Cuba, according to family reports.
Hernán Casternaux Serrano, a 31-year-old from the town of Cuatro Caminos in the Santiago region, was killed with a firearm during a party. He attempted to intervene in a fight among several individuals, as recounted by a cousin to the digital newspaper CubaNet.
"He stepped in to break up the fight, and one of the fighters left and returned with a gun. He shot him in the head," the source revealed, adding that the gunshot resulted in his immediate death.
The perpetrator fled the scene after the shooting. Despite a significant police presence in the area where the incident occurred, the suspect had not been apprehended at the time of the report, according to CubaNet.
Another individual, who claimed to know the shooter's family but wished to remain anonymous, told the press, "I understand he is a criminal who has been imprisoned multiple times."
Zenia Kindelán Serrano, also a cousin of Casternaux, confirmed the tragic event that shattered the young man's life, leaving two young daughters fatherless and the family in profound grief.
"I woke up to the saddest news. Hernán was taken from us: my cousin, my brother; the kindest soul with a wide smile and boisterous laugh. Envy is indeed dangerous; they couldn't stand his shine. The murderer will pay. He left two girls without a father and many hearts broken," she expressed on Facebook.
The wake for Casternaux took place at his home, with his burial scheduled at the Santana cemetery, near his hometown, as reported by CubaNet.
Casternaux was known as a peaceful family man. His violent death adds to a string of tragedies that have befallen a family already devastated by a horrific crime six years ago.
In 2019, the young man's father, Alexis Casternaux Medina, was murdered in the town of Ti Arriba by a woman he was romantically involved with, along with three other individuals. They brutally ended his life to steal 70,000 pesos he had withdrawn from the bank after selling a harvest.
The police apprehended Noralis, the victim's lover, her husband, and two other people as the perpetrators of the murder. The woman confessed to planning the crime with her spouse to seize the money, which they intended to use to leave the country.
"How cruel fate has been to these men. Such immense sorrow: first the father, now the son. It seems like a movie, but sadly it is the truth," lamented a person close to the victims.
Questions About the Tragic Events in Songo La Maya
What led to the shooting of Hernán Casternaux Serrano?
Hernán Casternaux Serrano was shot while trying to intervene in a fight at a party in Songo La Maya. The altercation escalated when one of the individuals involved retrieved a gun and shot him in the head.
Has the suspect been apprehended by the authorities?
As of the time the article was published, the suspect had not been captured, despite a significant police presence in the area where the incident occurred.
How has the family of Hernán Casternaux Serrano been affected by this tragedy?
The family has been deeply affected, as Hernán leaves behind two young daughters and a grieving family. This tragedy compounds their sorrow, following the murder of Hernán's father in 2019.