The young foreigners had come to follow the celebration when they were caught in the middle of a shootout.
News Colombia.
Carnival night in the Montecristo neighborhood, in Barranquilla, abruptly went from party to terror. In a matter of seconds, the music was turned off, the laughter was suspended and chaos took over a store on Carrera 55 and Calle 50, where a shooting left three foreign tourists lying on the floor, seriously injured.
The confusion was immediate. Witnesses describe a moment of absolute confusion: screams, people running in different directions and gunshots that broke up the festive night. Motte Cyprien Loic, 20 years old and French national, remained motionless in the midst of the noise; Teo María Starostenko, 24 years old and of Italian nationality; and Jacob Benjamín Sedgwick, 23 years old and English nationality. They had all been enjoying nearby events and would have arrived at the venue simply to continue the celebration.
Videos that circulated on social networks showed the anguish of those trying to help the injured while they desperately asked for help. Minutes later, police patrols arrived to secure the area and transfer the tourists to a medical center, where they remain under specialized care.
Lieutenant Colonel Belkin Villareal, operational commander of the Metropolitan Police, reported that a search and investigation plan was immediately activated to clarify the attack. The Criminal Investigation Section, in coordination with the Prosecutor’s Office, is trying to reconstruct the route of the attackers and the possible motive for the shooting. The authorities remain reserved about more details, but assure that they are already working on several key testimonies.
During the Carnival weekend, security operations left important results: 14 firearms seized, 269 knives taken out of circulation and the recovery of six stolen vehicles, including cars and motorcycles. These controls were reinforced due to the high influx of visitors and the increase in parties throughout the city.
In parallel, the Police responded to more than 12,000 emergency calls, most related to fights and disturbances to the peace. 760 summonses were imposed and 262 people were transferred to the UCJ for conduct that affected coexistence. While the investigations progress, the community of Montecristo demands a greater police presence to prevent events like this from overshadowing the city’s most emblematic celebration.
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