Honduras Prison Riot: Police Bullets Found In Some Bodies Among 46 Died

Police bullets were reportedly found in some of the bodies of 46 inmates killed in the June Honduras prison riot, the deputy security minister said Thursday.

Honduran deputy security minister, Julissa Villanueva, said the Barrio 18 gang members might have fired 15 police bullets, which have been discovered in the bodies of their rival gang, MS-13 members. Some of the inmates were also burned to death during the brutal riot in June, Reuters reported.

"Scientific evidence is telling us that 96% of the rounds found... belong to the police," Villanueva said in a TV interview, shared on her Facebook page.

While Villanueva said some bodies contained police bullets, she didn't mention the number of bodies.

She said during the interview, "What does that mean? That there must have been a conspiracy at one point. With whom? With those who were there at the time, guarding those police posts. And that they gave weapons to some and not to others."

Alongside the interview clip, the minister wrote that after the tragic incident took place at the National Female Penitentiary for Social Adaptation (Penitenciaría Nacional Femenina de Adaptación Social – PNFAS), she "endured attacks from several sectors, unfair expressions that insulted her professionalism and ability as a public servant.

"I will not allow anymore and despite the threats are latent, #Honduras must know that I have accomplished my work at the Secretary of Security with a lot of courage, dedication, desire to want to make efficient criminalism for the benefit of citizens," she wrote in Spanish (translated by Google).

Villanueva went on to explain that she has been tolerant despite facing misogyny and machismo. However, she pointed out that she won't "tolerate irregularities, abuses of power, mediocrity in technical and scientific processes, no injustice to the detriment of the victims," adding her responsibility was to "serve and protect."

The incident took place on June 20 in the prison, and the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on June 21 to blame the gangs for the violence.

"Shocking monstrous murder of women in CEFAS, planned by gangs in full view and patience of security authorities. My solidarity with family members. I call the Minister of Security and the president of the Intervention Commission to account. I will take drastic measures!" the president posted.

This was the worst tragedy in Latin America since 2017 when girls at a Guatemalan detention center set mattresses on fire to protest against rapes and mistreatment in the overcrowded institution. Unfortunately, the smoke and fire ended up killing 41 girls.