Heriberto Grueso Estupiñán was only 11 years old, and every day, before or during his free moments at school, he would go out to earn some money by running errands and carrying things at the port. His daily routine of going back and forth, transporting anything with his school uniform, became part of the street scenery of El Charco (Nariño, Colombia).
That was the reason why the militants from the FARC's 29th Front chose him for the attack. Even the police would not suspect that he carried a deadly payload in his arms. It would also not raise any suspicions for the child to approach the precinct, protected by trenches, to deliver a mattress where the explosive was hidden.
On a Thursday afternoon in March, at three o'clock, Heriberto left El Canal Educational Institution during recess to run an errand. "Take this mattress to the precinct," a militant told him. He handed him the money, and according to a witness, Heriberto adjusted his backpack on his back and placed the package on his head.
When he approached the police officers, protected by a trench, they activated the bomb, and the boy was blown into the air. Nine civilians and three police officers were injured. After the powerful explosion, there were screams, confusion, and tears. Some horrified neighbors discovered that among the victims was a child, identified by his small legs. That was all that remained of his body; the rest was disintegrated by the bomb.
Several hours passed to identify him, and a thorough count of students was carried out in every house. At the end of the day, they realized that Heriberto was the only one missing. His parents found out the next day when they returned from the farm. "I saw him at the cemetery, wrapped in plastic, only his little legs. The municipality helped me with the burial," explained the mother.
On each anniversary of the "bomb boy's" death, a mass is held in his memory, and students march alongside their teachers through El Charco to reject violence. "It was a very hard blow for the town, and we haven't forgotten it," said a merchant who knew Heriberto.