Tragedy strikes as presidential candidate shot during public appearance

Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay, is fighting for his life after being shot three times, including twice in the head during a campaign event on Saturday in the capital, Bogotá.

The 39-year-old senator and candidate for the 2026 presidential race was delivering a speech to a small crowd in a city park when gunfire erupted. According to local media, police swiftly apprehended a 15-year-old suspect at the scene.

Uribe was reportedly struck in the knee and twice in the head before collapsing. Graphic phone footage of the attack has circulated online, showing the chaotic moment the shots were fired and attendees fleeing in panic.

Paramedics rushed the wounded candidate to the Santa Fe Clinic, where he remains in critical condition. Supporters have since gathered outside the hospital, holding vigil and praying for his recovery.

His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, issued an emotional plea to the public:

“Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.”

Uribe’s party, the right-leaning Centro Democrático, strongly condemned the attack, calling it an assault on “democracy and freedom in Colombia.”

The government of President Gustavo Petro also denounced the shooting, describing it as an “act of violence not only against his person, but also against democracy.” The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, echoed that sentiment, labeling the incident a “direct threat to democracy.”

Miguel Uribe Turbay is a prominent figure in Colombian politics, having officially declared his candidacy in October 2024. He hails from a well-known political lineage: his mother, Diana Turbay — a respected journalist was tragically killed in 1991 during a failed rescue mission after she was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel. His father was both a businessman and a union leader.