Dominican Republic Police Death Toll Reaches 7,135

A sociological investigation cited by the newspaper Hoy on 7 July 2026 reports that the Dominican Republic's National Police (PN) have shot 7,135 people in the past 31 years. The most recent case involves 19‑year‑old Darlin Mercado, a resident of Cañada de Guaijimía, who was killed by a police patrol.

The killings span the administrations of four presidents—three terms of Leonel, one term of Hipólito, two terms of Danilo, and one and a half terms of Abinader. Police officer Cabo José Francisco Moreta Heredia, part of a patrol that allegedly usurped the role of the anti‑theft agency Digesett, is identified as the shooter. The investigation notes that the patrol ignored legal requirements under Law 63‑17, article 22, which mandates agents to present credentials and record the reason for a stop.

Witnesses say the patrol used the incident as a cover to seize motorcycles, vehicles, phones, and jewelry, a pattern described as a modus operandi of police‑linked gangs. The report alleges systematic impunity, with higher‑ranking officials protecting those who carry out the killings, across the seven‑year periods of the four presidents.