Between tears, pain and with “immense impotence”, relatives and neighbors of Julio Cesar Marte Rodriguezthe 20-year-old who was injured from bullets this Friday in the Mella cart, they define him as a person “lover of culture”.
They stated that because of the creative work carried out by Julio Cesar they call him “Teacher” and that from a very young age he has dedicated himself to painting, blacksmithing, and to doing decorative work according to the times: Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and even for religious activities.
For Julius Caesar the important thing is not money. According to his relatives, the young man knew a little about everything and that is why many people seek his help for his creativity and on many occasions without receiving anything in return because he does it “from the heart”.
Although he was born with an innate charisma for creativity and recyclable crafts, his dream is to study engineering.
Julio César also works with his family in folk activities and during carnival times he dresses as a stilt, for which he is considered in the neighborhood where he lives as “the soul of the Santa Barbara area“.
One of those who died in the shooting at the hands of hooded men had hired Julio César about two weeks ago to do a job in a penthouse that you have in a sector of the capital. The work was almost finished, but some touches were missing and they decided to move to the hardware store where the unfortunate event occurred. The dead were identified as Víctor Brahiar Sánchez Solano and Fernando Santos Martínez.
According to his relatives, Marte Rodríguez had taken the job to be able to raise money and buy a refrigerator for his mother.
María Marte, Julio César’s aunt, indicated that he has always been a dedicated, kind and loving young man, and that both she and the family are living a nightmare with what happened.
“I have a suffering that I am falling dead, that is my nephew that I love, he is a decent, serious, hard-working boy. Look at all the designs he made, at Christmas he decorated everything and did not take a penny from anyone, The only one he accepted to buy light bulbs was me”Julius Caesar’s Aunt
He considers it “unusual” that just one day after the Government will launch military reinforcements into the streets to combat crime, the country has been covered in blood at different points, as was the death of the two companions who were with the young man, the Italian, the jewelry, and others.
Marte added that the Dominican Republic “has been too big” for President Luis Abinader and the director of the National PoliceMajor General Eduardo Alberto Then.
Community members of the Santa Bárbara sector in amazement
The nearby communities of Santa Barbara areawhere the young Julio César Marte resides, say they are still amazed at the news, since the young man has supposedly never been a person of problems.
They comment that all the creative works in the neighborhood are carried out by the hands of the young man and he always carries a smile wherever he goes.
Workers of a blacksmith business located in the sector think that Julius Caesar was just “in the wrong place and time” and that they trust God that a miracle will happen to save his life.
“When we found out what happened, our tears fell, it’s that El Maestro is a serious boy, he was just in the wrong place and time,” said Julio Suazo, a worker at the business.
While for the young Mayra, receiving this news has hit her like a bucket of cold water, since she always imagined good things for Julio’s life, because of how kind and hard-working he has always been.
Youth’s health condition
Julio César is in the intensive care unit of the Doctor Darío Contreras hospital and his prognosis is currently reserved.
The young man has several bullet wounds, and according to information he provides to Free Journal by authorities of the health center, is “very delicate”.
