storeroom that housed the weapons assigned to the officers; iii) coordinate this
investigation with the CICPC of the State of Zulia, and iv) order an expert assessment
of the bullet trajectory.86
67.
On September 16, 2003, the CICIPC requested the collaboration of General
Commander Rodríguez León in carrying out these procedures. 87 On November 25,
2003, the Seventh Prosecutor asked the Chief of the CICPC to report on whether the
procedures requested on September 12, 2003 were carried out. 88
68.
On December 15, 2003, the Seventh Prosecutor asked the Commander General
Rodríguez León to send “as soon as possible” to the CICPC of Coro the weapons
assigned to the officers involved in the incident in which Néstor José Uzcátegui died. 89
On December 23, 2004, the Prosecutor ordered him to provide, within 15 days, a
certified copy of the weapons assigned to the aforementioned police officers.90
69.
On March 29, 2005, the CICPC of Falcón informed the Seventh Prosecutor’s
Office that it had not been able to carry out a ballistics test to compare the firearm and
the fragments recovered from the scene, as requested by the Prosecutor’s Office
(supra para. 67), since the weapon had been forwarded to the Weapons Department of
the CICPC in Caracas.91 Similarly, it reported that it had been unable to carry out the
ballistics test on the weapons carried by the police officers, as these had not been
provided by the Police Headquarters.92
70.
On June 9, 2005, the Seventh Prosecutor again requested that the CICPC of
Coro carry out the following complementary procedures in order to complete the
investigation: i) appoint a commission of officials qualified to carry out a reconstruction
of the events and survey the crime scene; ii) summon the seven police officers and the
family members present on the day of the incident to appear at the scene of the
events, and iii) provide a photographic record of the crime scene and of the evidence. 93
86
Cf. Official letter No. FAL-7-0540-03, cited by the petitioners in their brief of March 14, 2007 and
not disputed by the State (Evidence file, volume 2, page 968).
87
Cf. Official letter number illegible of September 16, 2003 addressed to Commander General
Oswaldo Antonio Rodríguez León, signed by Johny Márquez Parra, Sub Chief Commissioner of the
Delegation State Falcón (Evidence file, volume 2, page 942).
88
Cf. Official letter No. FAL 7-0540-03 addressed to the Chief of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal
Investigations Unit of the State of Falcón, signed by Attorney Roldan Di Toro Méndez, Seventh Prosecutor of
the Public Prosecutor’s Office, State of Falcón (Evidence file, volume 2, page 968).
89
Cf. Official letter FAL-7-0745-03 of December 15, 2003 addressed to Commander General of the
Armed Police Forces of the State of Falcón, signed by Attorney Roldán Di Toro Méndez, Seventh Prosecutor
of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Falcón (Evidence file, volume 2, page 972).
90
Cf. Official letter FAL-905-04 of December 23, 2004, addressed to Commander General of the
Armed Police Forces of the State of Falcón, signed by Roldán Di Toro Méndez, Seventh Prosecutor of the
Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Falcón (Evidence file, volume 1, page 366).
91
Cf. Official letter 9700-060 of March 29, 2005 addressed to Seventh Prosecutor of the Public
Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Falcón signed by the Chief Commissioner of the Sub-Office for Falcón,
TSU Marcos Marín Perozo (Evidence file, volume 1, page 367).
92
Cf. Official letter 9700-060 of March 29, 2005 addressed to the Seventh Prosecutor of the Public
Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Falcón signed by the Chief Commissioner of the Sub-Delegation of Falcón,
TSU Marcos Marín Perozo (Evidence file, volume 1, page 367).
93
Cf. Official letter Nº FAL-7-514-05 Seventh Prosecutor of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, State of
Falcón (Evidence file, volume 1, page 290, and volume 7, page 3536).
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