Former Guatemalan Prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa Killed in Shooting

Guatemalan police say two men opened fire on former prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa while he was at the Campo Marte sports centre in Guatemala City. The assault left Foppa and another man, Gustavo Adolfo Aguilar Gamarro, dead. Police quickly arrested two suspects, recovered a carbine-style firearm and a motorcycle linked to the case, and opened an investigation.

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Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, 43, was a former head of the Criminal Investigations Directorate within the Public Prosecutor’s Office and later led the country’s tax authority (SAT) from 2016 to 2018. In that role he pursued dozens of powerful business figures and recovered unpaid taxes. In 2023 he briefly joined the defence team of journalist José Rubén Zamora, a case he left after being accused of obstructing proceedings—a charge he denied but accepted in a plea agreement. In 2025 he publicly alleged ties between the Barrio 18 gang, the National Unity of Hope party, and the judicial system.

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President Bernardo Arevalo condemned the killing on his official X account, stating that the perpetrators and anyone who ordered the crime must be held accountable. He instructed his administration to coordinate with relevant authorities to solve the case and warned that intimidation would not deter the government or the Guatemalan people.

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“Both the direct perpetrators and those who ordered the crime must face the full weight of the law.” — Bernardo Arevalo, president

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Following the arrests, authorities seized the weapon and a motorcycle believed to belong to the suspects. The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the deaths of Foppa and Aguilar Gamarro and continues to pursue leads on who may have ordered the attack. President Arevalo’s directive emphasizes a coordinated effort to bring all responsible parties to justice.

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