In the space of 24 hours, gun violence has killed one person and injured two more in two separate incidents in the nightclub hotspots of Medellin.
Early Thursday morning, Wilmar Zapata, alias “Pichi,” was killed in a parking lot in the nightclub district along the Las Palmas highway above Medellin, with another seriously injured man transferred to a hospital, reported W Radio.
In another incident on Wednesday night in the city’s nightlife and tourism hub, Parque Lleras, a man resisted a robbery and was allegedly shot in the foot, according to an eyewitness report related to Colombia Reports.
The man shot in Parque Lleras was allegedly a Canadian tourist, although this has not been confirmed. Parque Lleras, located in the more affluent area of the city, is popular with party-goers, tourists and backpackers as it the sight of numerous bars, clubs, hotels and hostels catering to international visitors.
Authorities are currently confirming the identity of the man killed in Las Palmas, although Colombia’s W Radio have reported there are suspicions he was the head of a criminal gang Barrio Antioquia — a neighborhood known for gang violence and drug dealing — and member of the criminal organisation, “Oficina de Envigado.”
Sources
- Alias Pichi habría sido asesinado en Medellín (W Radio)
- Eyewitness account from Parque Lleras (Colombia Reports)