Dominican Police Shootouts Leave 98 Dead

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · SECURITY

Published Wednesday, 28 October, 5:16 p.m. ET · Source: Dominican National Police, Dominican Public Ministry, National Human Rights Commission

The Documented Toll

A Dominican newspaper identified 98 people killed in alleged police exchanges of fire between September 1 and October 25, 2026. The count includes 55 deaths in September and 43 in October, according to the publication's case-by-case review.

At least 33 of the deaths occurred in Santo Domingo and 14 in Santiago. The reporting did not provide a complete geographic breakdown for all 98 cases.

The deaths occurred during police operations, raids, pursuits, and alleged armed confrontations. Official accounts generally described the incidents as exchanges of gunfire, though relatives, neighbors, witnesses, and videos contradicted that narrative in several cases.

Two police officers were reported wounded in the interventions covered by the newspaper's count. The National Police did not provide a confirmed national total for the period.

Disputed Accounts

In one case, video reviewed by the newspaper appeared to show Cristhofer Carlos Belliard stopping and raising his hands before an officer shot him at close range. Police had said Belliard opened fire on a patrol in Montecristi.

The family of 16-year-old twins Randy Omar Borges and Omar Randy Borges alleged that police broke down the door of their home in Mendoza, Santo Domingo Este, on the morning of October 21 and shot the boys while they were in bed. Their grandmother, Gleny Jiménez, said one twin was still alive when an officer returned and shot him in the head.

In another case, relatives of Aneury Santiago Cabrera Estévez said he was unarmed and doing household chores when police entered. His sister, Judith Estévez, acknowledged he had a criminal record for robbery but said he never used a firearm.

The Public Ministry declined to provide information about investigations into the deaths, citing the confidentiality of criminal inquiries and personal-data protections. The public record does not establish how many cases resulted in prosecutions, disciplinary proceedings, or judicial findings.

Rights Groups React

The Dominican National Human Rights Commission, led by Manuel María Mercedes, submitted a complaint to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on October 2. The organization called for urgent international attention to police-operation deaths.

The commission said it had recorded approximately 205 deaths during 2026 attributed to alleged abuses by security forces. It said approximately 98% of the victims in its broader tally were young people aged 18 to 35.

The organization stressed that it was not asserting every case was an arbitrary execution. It demanded impartial, transparent, and scientifically grounded investigations into each death.

Police leadership identified in recent local reporting is Major General Ernesto Rafael Rodríguez García. A separate investigation attributed nearly 100 police-operation deaths to his first two months in office, though those figures require comparison with official records.

Travel Safety Context

The reported deaths occurred across multiple provinces, including the capital region and Santiago, the country's second-largest city. US visitors are most concentrated in resort areas such as Punta Cana and La Romana, which were not specifically identified in the available geographic breakdown.

The US State Department has not issued a new travel advisory specific to these incidents in the available reporting. Travelers should monitor official guidance and avoid areas where police operations are underway.

The cases involve alleged confrontations between police and suspects, not attacks targeting tourists. However, the volume of reported lethal police operations has raised concerns among human-rights advocates about broader security practices.

What It Means for US Readers

The Dominican Republic is one of the most popular Caribbean destinations for US travelers, with direct flights from major American cities to Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, and Santiago. The reported police shootings occurred primarily in urban areas rather than resort zones.

US visitors should be aware that the documented deaths involve alleged confrontations between police and suspects, not incidents targeting tourists. Travelers should monitor State Department guidance and avoid areas where police operations are active.

What Is Not Known

No police, government, prosecutorial, military, or United Nations source confirmed the figure of 98 deaths in the available reporting. The count is a journalistic tally assembled by a Dominican newspaper.

The individual circumstances of many cases remain contested, with conflicting official and civilian accounts. Complete ballistic, autopsy, body-camera, scene-processing, or chain-of-custody records were not available in the reporting.

It is not clear how many of the 98 cases resulted in prosecutions, disciplinary proceedings, independent forensic reviews, or judicial findings. The Public Ministry invoked investigative confidentiality.

The available reports do not establish that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had opened a formal case, issued precautionary measures, or made findings by October 28, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly does the 98-death figure represent?

The figure is a journalistic count by a Dominican newspaper of deaths reported as resulting from police confrontations between September 1 and October 25, 2026. It is not a confirmed national total issued by the police, government, courts, or any international body.

Are US tourists at risk in the Dominican Republic?

The reported deaths involved alleged confrontations between police and suspects, not attacks targeting tourists. The available geographic breakdown identified deaths in Santo Domingo and Santiago, not in major resort areas such as Punta Cana.

What has the Dominican government said about the deaths?

Police accounts characterized the deaths as confrontations in which suspects exchanged gunfire with officers. The Public Ministry declined to provide investigation details, citing confidentiality of criminal inquiries and personal-data protections.

Sources: Dominican National Police, Dominican Public Ministry, National Human Rights Commission.

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This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief