Chilean policeman killed in shooting during domestic violence response in Biobío

Carabineros de Chile has announced with deep regret the death of Sergeant 2nd Class Jaime Ariel Urrea Burgos, who was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence incident late Sunday night in the commune of Quilleco, Biobío Region.

Urrea Burgos, a member of the Retén Canteras under the 1st Police Station of Los Ángeles and an 18-year veteran of the force, was among three officers who arrived at a residence around 10:50 p.m. on October 4. Police had been called to the urban sector of Quilleco for a domestic violence (violencia intrafamiliar, or VIF) complaint; it was their second visit to the property that evening.

After residents authorized the officers to enter the home, a man emerged from a room armed with a shotgun and fired, striking Urrea Burgos in the neck. The sergeant was rushed to the local CESFAM health center in Quilleco, where he died from the severity of his injuries despite medical efforts.

The suspected shooter was immediately subdued and detained by the other officers at the scene. He faces charges of assault on a police officer in the line of duty resulting in death. Authorities are investigating whether the shotgun was registered in his name. The case is being handled by the Homicide Brigade of Los Ángeles, with support from the Criminalistics Laboratory in Concepción.

In an official statement, Carabineros de Chile strongly condemned the attack and expressed profound condolences to Urrea Burgos’s family, loved ones, and fellow officers, referring to him as a “new institutional martyr.” The force reaffirmed its commitment to fully support his family during this difficult time.

Chile’s Minister of Public Security, Martín Arrau, also reacted, stating: “It deeply pains us the assassination of Sergeant 2nd Jaime Urrea Burgos, a new martyr of Carabineros… Jaime went to a procedure in Quilleco for domestic violence and died after receiving a shot while fulfilling his duty to protect others. Chile must stand behind them. Support them with actions, give them the tools to confront increasingly violent crime, and restore respect for authority.”

The incident marks another tragic loss for Chile’s national police force amid ongoing concerns over violence against officers.