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A 14-year-old teenager was injured by gunfire in the city of Camagüey in an incident that occurred late Tuesday night.
The shot came from the service weapon of an officer from the Revolutionary National Police (PNR), who also injured himself in the incident, according to a report from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) in a news note in which it attributed the shot to an "accident" that occurred during an attempted arrest.
"It has been preliminarily reported that accidentally, a law enforcement officer and a minor were injured when a shot accidentally discharged from the officer's service weapon," the statement notes.
The minor was urgently transferred to the Eduardo Agramonte Piña Provincial Children's Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
He is currently conscious, and according to the official version, his life is not in danger.
According to the same source, the minor was carrying a knife and resisted arrest.
The adolescent was described as a person with "very poor social behavior."
"At the time of the arrest, he was not carrying identification documents, and it was later established that he is under the supervision of the Provincial Council for Child Care in Camagüey due to systematic violations of the law, with actions that are categorized as offenses," the MININT added.
The officer involved also received medical attention.
Authorities insist that immediate assistance was provided to the child and support to his family. They also report that they are investigating the facts for their "full clarification."
The citizen's version: A minor injured and a hospital surrounded
Before the official statement was released, independent reports circulated about a 13-year-old boy, who was urgently admitted to the Pediatric Hospital of Camagüey after being shot in the hip or thigh, as detailed on social media by journalist Jose Luis Tan Estrada.
"The hospital and the surrounding streets remain heavily guarded by police, State Security agents, and Party leaders," the communicator noted.
The disproportionate presence of security forces at the hospital, along with the lack of official information for hours, created an atmosphere of alarm and suspicion among the citizens.
Initial reactions: fear, disbelief, and condemnation
Before the official statement from the Ministry of the Interior was made public, social media became the only space for discussion regarding what had happened.
Dozens of users expressed their dismay and condemned what was already shaping up to be a new episode of police violence.
“A 13-year-old child can be subdued without the need for bullets,” wrote a user, in one of the most reiterated points of view.
Others denounced the increasingly repressive nature of the police apparatus in Cuba, noting that even minors were not safe.
"This is not security, it's brutality," read multiple posts.
Many also wondered why the hospital was surrounded by law enforcement and whether that presence was meant to protect the minor or silence their family.
The lack of transparency, the control of the narrative, and the fear of reprisals were identified as symptoms of a system where institutional violence is rarely investigated or publicly sanctioned.
Although some voices attempted to explain the incident as a possible confrontation with a violent minor, the majority agreed that no situation justifies shooting a child.
"And what if it were your child?" asked another user, reflecting the dominant emotional tone of the digital conversation.
The official note from MININT has attempted to downplay the seriousness of the matter by highlighting the accidental nature of what occurred.
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