The flag-bearer of the cadets was shot and killed during the massacre . A young girl named Carmen Fernández proceeded to take the flag , but was shot and gravely injured . A young cadet named Bolívar Márquez , despite being mortally wounded , dragged himself to a wall and wrote the following message with his own blood , before succumbing to his wounds : Nineteen people were killed in the Ponce massacre , and about 235 were wounded . The dead included 17 men , one woman , and a seven-year-old girl . Some of the dead were demonstrators , while others were simply passers-by . Many were chased by the police and shot or clubbed at the entrance of their houses as they tried to escape . Others were taken from their hiding places and killed
Ponce massacre
Ponce massacre
Tomás López de Victoria