Nineteen people were killed and over 200 were badly wounded , many in shot in the back while running away . The Hays Commission declared it a massacre and police mob action , and it has since become known as the Ponce massacre . In the aftermath , on April 2 , 1943 , Tydings introduced a bill in Congress calling for independence for Puerto Rico . This bill ultimately was defeated
Ponce massacre
Ponce massacre
Puerto Rico