Around 11 pm on March 19, a shooting took place in the Villanueva de Barranquilla sector, capital of the department of Atlántico, which claimed the lives of five people and left 14 injured.
In a first version of this event, it is stated that several men arrived at the party that was taking place on a public highway in the Villanueva neighborhood and opened fire indiscriminately.
According to information provided by the commander of the Barranquilla Police, General Jorge Urquijo, six subjects arrived at the site on three motorcycles who opened fire without apparently having a fixed objective.
According to the report from the authorities in Barranquilla, two people died instantly on the site; three more died in a medical center due to the seriousness of the gunshot wounds.
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One of the hypotheses that is handled about the cause of the shooting is that it would be a retaliation between criminal gangs that operate in Barranquilla.
“At the scene, 2 people lost their lives and 14 more were taken to a medical center, 3 lost their lives, the other people are recovering, apparently it would be a retaliation by criminal structures, dedicated to micro-trafficking,” the commander told El Tiempo.
A special delegation of the National Police traveled on Monday, March 20 in order to support the investigations in Barranquilla on this fact.
In order to expedite data collection by the Barranquilla Metropolitan Police, the authorities offered a reward of up to 50 million pesos for information that would allow the identity and whereabouts of the perpetrators of these homicides to be found.
Other murders in Barranquilla
Carlos Giovanni Carmona, a gay man from Barranquilla, was found dead on the night of March 13. The crime scene was the El Rosario neighborhood, the victim received 20 stab wounds to his head and neck, as well as blows to the eyes.
The Caribe Afirmativo organization explained that this is the third murder of a gay man in Barranquilla, as well as the fifth against an LGBTIQ+ person in the department of Atlántico.
Carlos had a degree in modern languages and English from the Universidad del Atlántico and also taught piano classes, but –apparently– his main source of income was borrowing money, so he could save large sums in his home.
The first versions of his death have to do with the loan of money, as various testimonies from some witnesses described struggles inside his home and the theft of valuables, such as a television and several boxes; those responsible would be two men.
“They kind of entered the house at 7:30. After 8 o’clock, the neighbors below saw the two subjects leave with a television and tried to leave through the bars, but since they couldn’t, they removed the wires and flew away. They left the television at the gate because they couldn’t get it out,” a neighbor told La Libertad.
The social organization stated that one of those involved could be known to the victim, since the neighbors claimed to have seen him previously. The rapid intervention of other residents allowed the capture of one of those involved, while the other fled and his whereabouts are unknown.
Caribe Afirmativo called on the authorities, since it is important that sexual orientation be considered in the process and investigation, through the implementation of the gender approach and the good practice guide of the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation. with Infobae