Gunman kills hardware merchant inside shopping center in Lima, Peru.

Gunman kills hardware merchant inside shopping center in Lima, Peru.

NEWS:

A hooded gunman walked into a busy shopping center and shot a 60-year-old hardware merchant in the head at close range in San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, Peru.

The targeted shooting occurred shortly before 8 p.m. on May 4, 2026, inside the Multiplaza Próceres shopping center, an area locally known as Las Malvinas.

The victim was identified as Antonio Dionisio Maras Flores, a longtime merchant who sold hardware supplies from a stand inside the commercial complex.

Security camera footage records the attacker walking through the shopping center, approaching Maras while he was speaking on a cellphone and opening fire without any visible confrontation. The gunman immediately runs through the aisle and leaves the building.

Police and witnesses reported that an accomplice was waiting near Los Duraznos Street on a motorcycle used in the escape.

Video records targeted shooting

The surveillance footage shows a thin man wearing gray sweatpants, a black jacket, a white cap and a hood covering part of his face.

He walks through the shopping center at a normal pace and does not display the gun while approaching the victim. Maras is standing near his business and speaking on the phone when the attacker moves behind him.

The gunman draws the weapon, fires at Maras' head from close range and flees as workers and customers react to the shooting.

The recording directly proves the armed attack, the close-range gunfire and the shooter's immediate escape. It does not identify the man, reveal who sent him or establish why Maras was targeted.

The video also does not show the complete escape by motorcycle. That part of the sequence was reported by police and witnesses who said another person was waiting outside.

Accounts differ over shots and death timeline

Published accounts differed over whether the gunman fired one or two shots at Maras. No publicly accessible ballistic report established the final cartridge count or the precise number of wounds.

There was also conflicting information about where the victim died.

Some initial accounts said Maras was killed instantly inside the shopping center. Other reports said coworkers and bystanders rushed him to Hospital 10 de Canto Grande, where medical personnel confirmed that he had arrived without vital signs.

No public hospital record or forensic document was located to resolve that difference. The confirmed result is that the head wounds caused his death shortly after the attack.

Criminalistics officers inspected the store, documented the shooting area and collected ballistic evidence. Investigators obtained surveillance recordings from the shopping center to examine the gunman's appearance, entry route and escape path.

A representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office participated in the initial legal procedures. The case was assigned to investigators responsible for homicides in the district.

Extortion examined as possible motive

Maras' relatives said he had received threats in the weeks before the killing. According to their account, people demanding extortion payments had warned him that he would be killed if he refused to pay.

The family believed the shooting was connected to those threats. Police also examined extortion as a possible motive because of the reports provided by relatives and other merchants.

No official document publicly established that Maras had received a specific payment demand, identified the people who contacted him or connected a named criminal organization to the murder.

The description of the shooting as a contract killing is based on the attacker's direct approach, the close-range shot and the planned escape. Those characteristics support the police hypothesis of a targeted homicide, but they do not prove who ordered it.

Maras' wife, Norca Anchillo, said her husband had no known enemies or personal disputes that could explain the attack. She asked authorities to investigate the reported threats and provide protection for the family because of concerns about possible retaliation.

Victim had worked at shopping center for years

Maras had worked at Multiplaza Próceres for more than a decade and was known among other vendors for selling silicone and related hardware products.

Relatives described him as a merchant who worked long hours throughout the week to support his household. He left behind several family members, including a 3-year-old son.

His family said the business was his primary source of income and that he had built his position in the shopping center through years of daily work.

The shooting occurred while employees and customers were still inside the complex. The attacker fled through a side route instead of using the main entrance on Próceres de la Independencia Avenue.

A police emergency unit operates near the shopping center, but the gunman and his alleged motorcycle accomplice escaped before officers could intercept them.

Family and merchants demand arrests

Relatives, friends and fellow merchants later held a demonstration demanding that prosecutors and police identify both the shooter and whoever ordered the killing.

During the funeral and subsequent protest, family members asked the Public Prosecutor's Office not to allow the case to be abandoned. They also requested protection because of the threats reportedly received before Maras was killed.

Shopping center workers temporarily interrupted their activities as part of the protest and called for increased police patrols around the commercial area.

Investigators continued reviewing video recordings and interviewing relatives and merchants about the alleged extortion demands. Police were also reported to be examining communications associated with criminal groups operating against businesses in the district.

Those investigative steps did not produce a publicly announced arrest connected specifically to the murder.

As of July 12, 2026, no case-specific police statement, prosecutorial filing or court record publicly identified the hooded gunman, the motorcycle driver or a suspected organizer. Extortion remained the principal publicly reported hypothesis, supported by the family's account of threats but not established by a final investigative or judicial finding.

News story written by DarkGore.

For more on this case:

If you want to know more about this case, just visit the following URL: https://www.infobae.com/peru/2026/05/05/crimen-en-sjl-sicario-asesina-a-comerciante-ferretero-dentro-de-las-malvinas-frente-a-trabajadores/