2 dead after Fuerte Apache shootout between drug gangs in Argentina

A fierce shootout between two suspected drug gangs shook the Fuerte Apache housing complex in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires province, during the early hours of Saturday. At least 50 shots were fired when attackers arrived in a car, opened fire on a group of people and fled, according to initial witness accounts. The incident occurred between sectors 3 and 6 of the complex, near the community water tank.

Two people were killed: Tiziano Gauna, 17, who was taken by motorcycle to Dr. Ramón Carrillo Hospital while the shooting continued, and R. Quispe, 36, found dead among the complex's buildings. Four others were injured, including a 20-year-old man shot in an arm and a leg, a 17-year-old with a leg wound and an 18-year-old woman injured in an ankle.

Investigators are examining whether the confrontation stemmed from a dispute over drug sales in the neighborhood, with one hypothesis pointing to two factions known as "Villa Matienzo" and "Los Fiolos." The case is being handled by Prosecutor Fabiana Ruiz of UFI No. 2 in San Martín. No arrests have been officially reported, and police have reinforced patrols in the complex.