Agustín Ezequiel Mendoza Lira
The population ran out of their homes with pots and pans, shouting “Go away!” The police and paramilitaries opened fire, and one of the paramilitaries shot Agustín Ezequiel Mendoza Lira point blank, as he was trying to record the events on his cell phone. His neighbors tried to help him, but he died on his way to the hospital.
Following the initial protests, a group of young people and community members formed the April 19 Movement of Tipitapa, which put up two roadblocks beginning in early May. One was in Las Maderas, and the other in the Oronte Centeno barrio. On June 14, in response to the opposition movement’s call for a national strike, the government shifted its targets in Operation Clean-Up. One of the new targets was Tipitapa. The attack on the Oronte Centeno roadblock by police and anti-riot forces began at 4:30 in the morning.
Everyone in Tipitapa knew him and his talent as a hair stylist. On June 28, during the LGTBQ Day march, the community honored him, shouting “Agustín Ezequiel Mendoza: Present! Present! Present!”
Agustín joined the movement after his friend and fellow band member, Richard Pavón Bermúdez, was killed. He was the first person who died in the April protests.