by Chester Seaton, News

13/8-Violence erupted on the streets of the Monteddorian capital today when Blackwood magnate Marco De Santana took to the stage to give a press conference concerning the situation with his daughter, Yolanda. One of our own correspondents found himself in the middle of the action, as after the opening statement was delivered, a gunman charged the stage with a blunderbuss and opened fire.

According to our reporter, most of the shot was blocked by the podium and the rest struck an armed guard. Before the assassin had time to reload, he was incapacitated by police and taken into custody. This was not the end of the attempt, however. While De Santana was being escorted off the stage to a secure location, several explosive devices where triggered.

Thankfully, these devices where not intended to kill or maim, but simply produce a cloud of smoke that dispersed the crowd and caused confusion. Members of De Santana’s guard that were involved in the incident say that several figures armed with revolvers appeared within the smoke and tried to kill him. Two of the guards were killed and another injured before they managed to regroup and fight back. Once they did, the unidentified assailants retreated.

Monteddorian authorities refuse to speculate on the identities of the assassins, but they believe the man with the blunderbuss and the individuals with the revolvers were part of separate plots, brought together by a general contract on De Santana’s life. Authorities believe the contract was placed by Yolanda De Santana.

Several other potential assailants were discovered in the immediate area. Two were killed, the rest were apprehended. None are believed to be affiliated with each other.

The De Santana estate released a statement about the incident: “I am deeply regretful that the situation has come to this, and that my own flesh and blood would resort to such tactics. That is not how I raised her. I mean, I may have firebombed a few fully staffed distribution centers when I took over from my uncle, but I always told her how much I regretted it. If she is going to kill me, she should do it herself, without putting the citizen in harm’s way!”