“Fuck 7” or “Fuck seven.” That is what witnesses say the teenage killer shouted before opening fire on 15-year-old William with a pistol at a playground in Villaverde, Madrid, on Sunday night. The crime, as reported by CASO ABIERTO, the investigations channel of Prensa Ibérica, has become a focal point for the ongoing case.
The number seven holds symbolic weight for members of the rival groups, linked to the Trinitarians. The chant “Fuck seven” became a battle cry used by members of the Dominican Play gang (DDP). Police indicate that the murdered boy had ties, by what is colloquially referred to as notes in police slang, to followers of the Trinity and several people who were with him at the moment of the attack.
hooded assassin
Investigators describe the gunman as a hooded figure wearing a black mask and jacket, possibly a minor. DDP’s signature color is said to be red sneakers. After firing at William and a friend who tried to defend him, the killer escaped toward the San Cristóbal subway entrance.
This is the fifth homicide in Madrid this year bearing the marks of the feud between the two main Latino gangs competing for territory in the city’s neighborhoods. In Villaverde, parks, basketball courts, and vacant flats have become flashpoints in the conflict. Police sources note that William was killed on the doorstep of his own home.
with a gun
The incident marks Madrid’s first crime directly tied to firearm use by Latino gangs, a worrying development for investigators. Earlier incidents involved machetes and knives. Another 15-year-old, Jaime Guerrero alias Pepe, was killed on Atocha Street on February 5, reportedly by a DDP member in retaliation for leaving the group and joining a rival faction.
In retaliation for Pepe’s death, several Trinidadians killed 18-year-old Alejandro Carmona alias El Pérez, accusing him of involvement in Pepe’s murder in April.
13 year old gang members
Two rival groups originated in the Dominican Republic, yet roughly 90 percent of their members already hold Spanish citizenship. Many are children or grandchildren of immigrants seeking a better life in Spain. The average age of gang members in Spain has fallen to the early teens, with the youngest known arrestee in Madrid in 2022 being only 11 years old.
Since the end of the epidemic, the two groups have been waging a battle in the streets and online. They recruit minors in parks, schools, and on social networks. This DDP faction is associated with the number 3 and the color red, while the Trinitarians use number 7 and the color green. So far, they have employed machetes, knives, and now pistols since Sunday.