The Man Who Killed Che Guevara Has Died

Mario Teran "simply complied with his duty as a sergeant of the army," says a retired Bolivian general—but the order he carried out was one he reportedly later described as causing "the worst moment of my life." Teran, the man who executed Ernesto "Che" Guevara upon the order of the Bolivian president, has died at age 80, Der Spiegel reports. Guevara was surrounded, wounded, and taken captive by Bolivian troops on October 8, 1967. Teran killed the 39-year-old the following day.

Sky News has this recollection from Teran: "I saw Che large, very large. His eyes shone intensely. I felt him coming over me and when he fixed his gaze on me, it made me dizzy. 'Calm yourself,' he told me, 'and aim well! You are going to kill a man!' Then I took a step back towards the door, closed my eyes and fired." Sky News notes the initial shots reportedly missed. The AFP reports Teran retired after 30 years in the military and avoided the media. But the Guardian in 2007 reported Teran "had his sight restored by Cuban doctors" who removed his cataracts, "turning him into an unlikely advertisement for the revolutionary's ideals." (Lost photos of Guevara's body turned up in 2014.)