The rioters eventually stormed the Palacio Quemado itself in search of Villarroel. He was discovered in a cupboard in the Office of Administrative Reorganization and Efficiency. There are several versions of what happened next: One claims that one of the revolutionaries fired his submachine gun through the closed cupboard door upon hearing a noise and discovered the mortally wounded body of Villarroel when he opened it. Another says that Villarroel opened the cupboard himself and fired his revolver at his attackers before falling riddled with gunshots. A third version says that when discovered he exclaimed: "I am not Villarroel, I am Alfredo Mendizábal, head of the PIR" (one of the leaders of the revolution).