[3] On that day, demonstrations took place in Ayacucho and the situation intensified when the military deployed helicopters to fire at protesters, who later tried to take over the city's airport, which was defended by the Peruvian Army and the National Police of Peru.

Following the independence of Peru from the Spanish Empire, the economic elite focused their power on the coastal regions while the rural provinces were governed by existing serfdom practices by hacienda landowners.

[23] The COVID-19 pandemic in Peru exacerbated these disparities, causing many rural Peruvians to feel abandoned by the government as trade and trans-regional travel were prohibited, fueling increased distrust and autonomy among interior regions of the nation.

[24][25][26] Sociologist Maritza Paredes of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru states "people see that all the natural resources are in the countryside but all the benefits are concentrated in Lima.

[38] The Constitutional Court released a statement: "No one owes obedience to a usurping government and Mr. Pedro Castillo has made an ineffective coup d'état.

[49] The Boluarte government first attempted to quell the protests with increased police presence,[50] and subsequently deployed the military via the declaration of a national state of emergency.

[5][54] Clashes first began when the Peruvian Army closed access to the main square of Ayacucho at noon and threw red smoke grenades at those participating in the gathering, angering protesters who already had a history of distrust against the military.

[52] Human rights groups and citizens of Ayacucho reported that members of the Peruvian Army were then seen chasing protesters into residential streets and shooting directly at civilians with their rifles, describing the event as a massacre.

[58] At 3:14pm, a group of 30 soldiers are seen chasing protesters near a Primax gas station on Ejercito Avenue and were seen firing towards Amancaes Extension road, shooting 22-year-old Clemer Rojas in the chest.

[52][61] Christofer Michael Ramos Aime, 15, was killed around 6:35 p.m. after being shot in the back while attempting to cross the street; the bullet tore through his right scapula and exited his left arm.

[2][5][52] After hearing initial reports of civilians being killed by the armed forces, protesters set fire to a local Public Ministry building in the area.

[9] By 11:30 PM PET, a "red alert" was declared by health authorities in the region, requiring healthcare personnel to remain at treatment centers to care for the wounded.

[5] Forensic evidence and footage captured surrounding the events resulted with the Directorate of Criminalistics determining that of the ten individuals killed, nine died from gunshot wounds consistent with 5.56×45mm NATO rounds fired from the IMI Galil service rifles used by the army.

[69] A report from IDL-Reporteros published on February 12, called "Ayacucho: Radiografía de homicidios", argued that at least six of the fatalities were caused by shots fired by troops without any justifications.

[52][70] An investigation by The New York Times noted that authorities violated their own protocols and intentionally used lethal force when firing assault rifles at fleeing protesters.

[2] The newspaper noted: "[Protesters] were unarmed and, as stipulated in military protocols, posed no 'imminent danger of death or grave bodily harm,' to officers or anyone else when they were shot".

[2] In June 2023, IDL-Reporteros reported that the company operating the Coronel FAP Alfredo Mendívil Duarte Airport, Aeropuertos Andinos del Perú, said that it deleted video footage of the incident and was not asked by government investigators to provide any images.

[19] The Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDDHH) condemned the use of "weapons of war" against protestors, with the NGO sharing a video of authorities using automatic firearms against demonstrators.

[14] The National Association of Journalists of Peru denounced the actions of the Peruvian military, stating "[W]e express dismay at the death of 7 compatriots in Ayacucho.

We deplore the actions of the armed forces in this context, we express solidarity with the Ayacucho people who suffered decades of horror, and we demand that responsibilities be identified".

[15] Human Rights Watch criticized the use of the military in Ayacucho, stating "The deployment of the armed forces to maintain public order raises particular concerns, as they do not have the equipment, training, or mission to carry out those tasks.

Videos shared on local news outlets and social media – reviewed and verified by Human Rights Watch – show military personnel apparently firing assault rifles in the streets near the Ayacucho airport".

"[16] A group of 300 intellectuals and writers condemned the violence, writing "The National Police of Peru, an institution that has exercised the same repressive protocols against civilians since the 1980s, acts with impunity against fundamental rights, with special cruelty against demonstrators from vulnerable sectors, the Andes and the Amazon" and rejected groups ignoring vulnerable citizens, stating "The State and corporate and media powers actively ignore the pronouncements of peasant communities, indigenous territorial governments, regional governments, organizations and social groups throughout the country, seeking to impose themselves by force with a reprehensible racism, classism and centralism.

[18] President Dina Boluarte expressed condolences for the massacre, stating "We mourn the crying of the mothers in Ayacucho and we suffer the pain of families throughout the country.