Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Flyweight champion, Jesus “Cuchilla” Geles, was shot in the back as he was passing by a confrontation between local police and a family that had just been robbed in Colombia’s northern coastal city of Cartagena.
Witnesses report that in the neighborhood of Camino del Medio, a robbery occurred which led to the arrival of police officers in the area, according to Colombia’s Caracol Radio.
Amid the confrontation, the family that had been the victims of the robbery fell into a heated argument with the police. The argument erupted into gun shots, one of which wounded Geles who was nearby.
However, according to newspaper El Universal, the shooting occurred when a friend of the robbery victim began to argue with the police. It began with shouting, then escalated into shoving until finally the police fired their weapons into the air as a warning.
Three people were struck by the bullets, including the former boxing champion.
Colonel Jorge Luis Ramirez, commander of the police in Cartagena, said that they would focus on clearing up the confusion of the incident and “clarify the facts.”
The ex-boxer was admitted to the University Hospital of Cartagena, where he underwent an operation to remove the bullet.
Cuchilla was made the WBO Light Flyweight champion in 2011, but lost the title less than a month later in his first defense bout with Mexican boxer, Ramon Garcia Hirales, in Mexico City on April 30, 2011.
Sources
- Herido en Cartagena excampeon mundial de boxeo (Caracol Radio)
- Hieren al boxeador “Cuhilla” Geles en enfrentamiento entre comunidad y Policia (El Universal)