🇨🇴 Gunfire at Bogotá Rally: Right‑Wing Candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay Wounded
Date: June 7, 2025
Location: Modelia (El Golfito Park), West Bogotá
🗳️ What happened?
On Saturday evening, 39-year-old Colombian senator and 2026 presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay, a right-wing candidate from the Democratic Center party, was shot during a public campaign event in the Modelia neighborhood of Bogotá. Witnesses reported that the attack came from behind as Uribe stood on stage delivering a speech.
🩺 Nature of the attack & medical treatment
He was struck multiple times ― reports mention wounds to the head and chest and three bullet hits, including two to the head .
Uribe was rushed to Engativá Medical Center and later transferred to Clínica Fundación Santa Fe.
As of June 7 evening, he underwent neurosurgery and vascular procedures and remained in critical condition.
🚔 Immediate aftermath
A suspect was detained on the scene immediately after the shooting .
Colombian authorities launched both police and judicial investigations, urging public cooperation and offering a ₱3 billion peso (approx. US $729,000) reward for information leading to the perpetrators’ capture .
Security was tightened nationwide for all political candidates, with emergency meetings led by President Gustavo Petro and Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán.
🕊️ Political and historical significance
The attack prompted swift condemnation across the political spectrum. President Petro labeled it “an assault on democracy,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also denounced the violence .
Colombia’s collective memory of political assassinations—most notably the 1989 killing of Luis Carlos Galán and 1990’s Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa—heightened concerns that the nation might be reverting to its tumultuous political past .
Observers highlight that, despite the 2016 peace agreement, threats from drug cartels, armed groups, and paramilitaries remain persistent. The shooting has intensified worries surrounding the security of presidential campaigns .
👤 About Miguel Uribe Turbay
Born January 28, 1986, Uribe is a Harvard-educated lawyer and senator since 2022. He hails from a prominent political family: grandson of ex-president Julio César Turbay Ayala and son of journalist Diana Turbay, killed in a Medellín Cartel-related rescue in 1991 .
He rose through Bogotá’s political ranks, serving as city councilor and Secretary of Government, and is a staunch critic of the current left-wing administration led by Gustavo Petro .
🔍 Investigation & next steps
Authorities are examining the assailant’s background, possible accomplices, and motive. Security protocols at political events are under review.
President Petro’s government has called for national unity to protect democratic processes. Meanwhile, the opposition is pressing for greater investigative transparency.
With the 2026 election cycle underway, this attack underscores Colombia’s urgent need to reinforce political safety mechanisms and confront lingering threats to public office holders.
