A local politician has been assassinated in the southwest of Colombia, local media reported Monday.
Councilman Gilberto Gomez Gomez was killed in Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca, along with his assistant, in what appears to be a targeted ambush.
The Conservative Party politician, a political ally of House Representative Heriberto Sanabria, was traveling by car through his town when he was shot repeatedly by an as-of-yet unidentified gunman, or group of gunmen.
Details of the attack, which resulted in the deaths of Gomez and his assistant, and sent a bystander to the hospital with severe gunshot wounds, have not been released.
Investigators have yet to disclose, for example, what type of weaponry was involved or what motives are currently being considered. There are reports, however, that Gomez notified the police several weeks ago regarding threats being made on his life.
The region in which the Caicedonia municipality is located is considered the birth ground of drug cartel “Los Rastrojos” which exercises control over the local underworld and drug trafficking routes in the region.
Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca
Sources
- En Caicedonia asesinaron a un concejal y a su asistente (El Pais)
- Asesinado concejal conservador en Caicedonia (RCN Radio)
- Asesinan a concejal de Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca (Caracol Radio)
