Mar del Plata hardware store owner killed during robbery

On Thursday afternoon in the Malvinas Argentinas neighbourhood of Mar del Plata, 48‑year‑old hardware store owner Ricardo Raúl Ruiz was shot in the chest while confronting two armed thieves who had entered his shop on Libertad Avenue. Ruiz threw an object at the fleeing assailants before being hit; he was taken to Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos (HIGA) where he died minutes later.

Police located and arrested the two suspects, identified as 25‑year‑old Alan Alberto Ovejero and 23‑year‑old Tomás Hoste, a few blocks from the scene. Prosecutor Carlos Russo is investigating the case for homicide. The local merchants’ association, Cafamar, condemned the killing, stating “this murder is not an isolated incident” and urging the provincial authorities to implement an urgent, comprehensive security plan for merchants.

The incident has heightened concerns about violence against small‑business owners in the city.