Death of Francisco Martínez

Francisco Andrés Martínez Romero (August 7, 1993 – February 5, 2021) was a 27-year-old street artist known locally as "Franco" or "Tibet." Originally from the Puente Alto commune in Santiago, he left home at 18 to live in various Latin American countries before settling in the southern Chilean city of Panguipulli in 2015, where he lived on the streets and worked as a juggler and craftsman. According to his sister's testimony, Martínez had schizophrenia. He had participated in the 2019–2020 Chilean protests, and his nephew, a minor, had separately been involved in an incident of police violence during those protests in Santiago.

On the afternoon of February 5, 2021, Martínez was juggling with machetes at a busy intersection in Panguipulli when three Carabineros officers stopped him for an identity check. Police testimony states that Martínez said he lacked identification but could provide his tax identification number. When Second Sergeant Juan Guillermo González Iturriaga asked him to accompany officers to the police station, Martínez reportedly became agitated and lunged at the officers with the machetes. González fired several shots at close range, killing him. A nursing technician at the scene provided first aid and attempted CPR, without success.

The shooting was filmed by a passerby and circulated on social media, prompting spontaneous protests in Panguipulli that afternoon. Unrest escalated that night, resulting in the complete burning of the Municipality of Panguipulli building, along with damage to the Chilean Post Office, the Local Police Court, the Civil Registry, and the ESSAL office. Five people were arrested during the unrest. Protests and clashes with police spread the following day to other Chilean cities including Antofagasta, Santiago, Concepción, Temuco, and Valdivia.

Martínez's body was transported from Panguipulli to Santiago on February 6, honored by the local community before departure. His remains arrived in Bajos de Mena, Puente Alto, on the morning of February 7 for a wake attended by singer Roberto Márquez. His funeral took place the following day at Parque El Prado cemetery. Further protests over his death occurred on February 8 in Santiago, Valparaíso, and La Serena.

Left-wing politicians Gabriel Boric, Camila Vallejo, and Nicolás Grau publicly condemned the death as murder on social media.

In February 2022, the Supreme Court of Chile dismissed the case against the officer involved, upholding an earlier ruling by the Court of Valdivia that he had acted in legitimate self-defense.