He lived with his new love Carmen Dolores Otero, who was pregnant with their second child, and their young daughter Rebecca, on a welfare check of $125 a month.

They felt the impending changes of Puerto Rico's status from a non-autonomous territory to a partially self-governing commonwealth were a continuation of United States imperialism.

On October 30, 1950, Torresola's brother and sister participated in the Jayuya Uprising, part of insurgent efforts across Puerto Rico by Nationalists.

[1] The island government declared martial law and attacked the town with U.S. P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes, land-based artillery, mortar fire, grenades, and the Puerto Rican National Guard.

Torresola walked up Pennsylvania Avenue from the west side while his partner, Oscar Collazo, engaged Secret Service special agents and White House policemen from the east.

Torresola approached a guard booth at the west corner of the Blair house, and noted an officer, sitting inside.

Torresola quickly fired four shots from his 9 mm German Luger, semi-automatic pistol at close range at the officer, who was Leslie Coffelt, before he could react.

Torresola shot District of Columbia policeman Donald Birdzell in the left knee from a distance of approximately 40 feet, incapacitating him and preventing him from shooting Collazo.

[3][4] Standing to the left of the Blair House steps as he reloaded, Torresola was only 30 feet from President Truman, who had been awakened by the gunfire and looked outside.

[3][4] Oscar Collazo survived his wounds despite being shot multiple times by the officers, was convicted at trial of murder, and sentenced to death.

We must remember the brave and expert guerrilla of the mountains of Jayuya as the patriot who never had doubts when his country called him to completion of his duty.