congenitaldisease:

On the 16th of July, 2015, Guatemalan schoolboy, 12-year-old Angel Ariel Escalante Perez, was walking home from school when he was ambushed by a group of gang members. They grabbed the young boy and ordered him to shoot and kill a random bus driver or be killed himself.

Angel refused to kill the man. His father, Luis Escalante, had worked as a bus driver his whole life. After the brave boy refused, the group gave him a choice: be murdered with a machete or thrown off a 450 foot bridge. He chose the latter and he was thrown from the Incensio Bridge in Guatemala City.

Miraculously, the foliage down below somewhat softened his landing and he survived the initial fall. Unfortunately, however, Angel lay below the bridge for three days while his family searched for him. His father was the one who eventually found him. Angel was rushed to hospital where medics fought to save his life but 15 days later, Angel died from his injuries. They said that if he had of been found earlier, there’s every chance he could have survived.

Angel was in the 6th grade at Carlos Benjamin Paiz Ayala School. He loved drawing, listening to music and playing soccer. The case is just one of many that involve children being exploited to commit murders because they cannot be prosecuted.