Two barrabrava leaders of the Rosario Central football club were shot dead outside the club’s stadium on Saturday after a game in Rosario, Santa Fe on Saturday night. The leader of the group, Andrés “Pillín” Bracamonte, and his sidekick Daniel “Rana” Atardo were shot five times each: authorities have yet to identify the attackers.

Barras bravas are organized groups of football fans present in most clubs who often engage in violent and even illegal behavior.

During a press conference on Monday morning, prosecutor Alejandro Ferlazzo of Rosario’s Homicide Unit said the shooting happened on Saturday at 9:43 p.m., minutes after attendees started leaving the stadium after the Rosario Central-San Lorenzo game. A group of at least three people fired over 11 shots at the vehicle Bracamonte and Atardo were in. Ferlazzo explained that the attackers were in short range, and both men were hit by five bullets from a 9-millimeter handgun that has yet to be found. Despite multiple eyewitnesses describing that the attackers approached on foot, they were lost in the crowd exiting the stadium.

Additionally, Ferlazzo said that the street lights at the block where Bracamonte and Atardo were killed were not working at the time of the attack, and the power returned in the early hours of Sunday. The prosecutor’s office requested a report on why the lights were out at that moment. “It could have been a normal issue that the attackers took advantage of to carry out the attack in that spot,” the prosecutor said.

Investigators are analyzing security cameras in the area to get further information on what happened but said that the Rosario Central club admitted they don’t have any CCTV footage to provide.

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Authorities believe the attack could have several different motives. Prosecutor Matías Merlo said this investigation is linked to other 29 homicide attempts or attacks Bracamonte has suffered, which will be investigated together. The last attempt was on August 10, after a match between historic rivals Rosario Central and Newell’s All Boys.

Ferlazzo added that, according to previous judicial investigations, the reasons behind the attack are not limited to his role within the Rosario Central barrabrava and could “extend to other potential illicit activities.” Bracamonte is said to be linked to the local drug trafficking business that has been burdening the city for years. “There are multiple theories.”

On Friday, Bracamonte was convicted to prison for gender-based violence against his ex-partner. On Saturday, he was outside the stadium given he was barred from attending football games there.

Earlier this year, the government sent the Armed Forces to Rosario after the city saw a spike in homicides linked to organized crime. Santa Fe Justice and Security Minister Pablo Cococcioni said national, provincial, and local authorities are working to stop Saturday’s murders from sparking a similar surge in violence following months of peace.

Cococcioni said it was “very hard” to revert the violent situation in Rosario, where there were “almost 300 homicides” in 2023 and 2022. He added that they have decided to strengthen security measures “to stop any speculation of a resurgence of violence” in the city.