A 16-year-old Cuban youth is murdered in Bayamo.

A 16-year-old Cuban teenager was stabbed to death this weekend in Bayamo, Granma province, after intervening in a fight to defend a friend, according to reports on social media.

The deceased, identified as Walfrido López Rodríguez and known as "Titico el Erifa," was attacked while being restrained by several individuals who were aware of his karate skills.

The incident occurred just before midnight on Saturday at the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes park, opposite the Royalton hotel.

According to reports cited by activist Alicia Alonso and other sources, Walfrido was trying to defend a friend when a group of young people from the neighborhood "La Cutara" attacked him.

Due to his martial arts skills, several of them restrained him while a 14-year-old adolescent delivered the fatal stabs.

The aforementioned source revealed that there had already been rivalry and previous conflicts between the victim's friend and the attackers.

"His warm personality and good interpersonal relationships made him very popular among his friends and colleagues," say neighbors and friends.

“My child, you have no idea how much it hurts to say goodbye. Life is very unfair, and you had just started to live it. We will miss you dearly. Rest in peace. Our condolences to the family,” Yeliannis Yilian Martínez wrote on Facebook.

"Receiving a call like that suddenly and hearing the news that a piece of my life has been taken away left me very upset. Today we bid farewell to our friend with deep sadness, but also with gratitude for having had the opportunity to know him and share part of our journey with him. His departure leaves a void in our hearts that can never be filled, but his memory will remain alive in each of us," wrote Alexania Santos in a heartfelt Facebook post.

“You know that you are and will always be very important to me. You will be the brightest star in the sky, and you will see that those who did this to you will pay dearly for it. Rest in peace, my love, knowing that you were loved and cherished by all of us who had the privilege of knowing you. Your memory will live on in us forever, reminding us of the importance of valuing every moment and every person who is part of our lives. Rest in peace,” he added.

In another recent similar crime, another Cuban teenager, 17 years old, was killed Saturday night during a fight in the city of Cienfuegos.

The victim in that case, identified as Raúl Artiz Suárez del Villar, also reportedly lost his life during a violent altercation while trying to defend a friend in a place known as La Plaza, in the capital of Cienfuegos.

A report published in August by the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC) detailed the troubling rise in crime on the island during the first half of 2024.

The report was based on monitoring complaints on social media and in the media, as the regime keeps this data secret and only shares information occasionally and with questionable transparency, clarified Cuba Siglo 21.

In the first six months of 2024, 432 crimes were reported, averaging 2.37 crimes per day, significantly surpassing the figures reported during the same period in 2023.

Notable crimes include 91 murders, 260 thefts, 39 assaults, 29 instances of aggression, and 13 cases classified as other crimes.

These figures revealed a significant increase, with a 152% rise in the crime rate compared to the first half of the previous year. The 111% growth in homicides, a 290% rise in assaults, and a 208% increase in thefts are particularly alarming.