New shooting in Barcelona: a man dies from a gunshot to the head on Balmes street

BarcelonaIt was ten minutes to ten in the morning at the intersection of Balmes street and Granada del Penedès street, in the upper part of Barcelona. The terraces were full and a National Police office for issuing ID cards and passports was already open. Suddenly, a shot was heard. There was a rush and witnesses explain that they hid inside the premises. A man dressed in a dark sweater, from which a Barça t-shirt protruded, and wearing bermuda shorts lay on the ground bleeding. He had just received a shot to the head. There was only one detonation. Another man, wearing a beige t-shirt, also bermuda shorts, and with a bicycle helmet in one hand and a pistol in the other, fled down Granada del Penedès street towards Via Augusta.

The National Police cameras recorded the moment and provided a clear image of the gunman. The Mossos d'Esquadra are already investigating this new crime in Catalonia, the second shooting execution in three days, which coincides with the visit of Pope Leo XIV to the country. According to various sources consulted by ARA, after the crime, the alleged perpetrator of the events reached a bus stop in Plaça Gal·la Placídia, one of the busiest spots in the city. There, as this newspaper was able to record, he abandoned the bicycle helmet. Below it was the pistol. He hid everything right under the yellow bench of the bus stop. On top of it, the Mossos also found a mobile phone, which they are checking to see if it belongs to the suspect.

For the moment, they continue to search for the gunman and the police have not yet identified the victim, a middle-aged man who was not carrying any identification. The investigation has just begun, but given the nature of the homicide, the police are looking into whether it could be linked to organized crime. However, the Mossos completely rule out any connection with the pontiff's visit to Barcelona.

Attack from behind

Witnesses explain that a man approached the victim and shot him in the back. Afterwards, he tried to shoot again, but upon seeing himself exposed – he was in front of a police station and there were people on the terraces of Balmes street –, he decided to flee. Quickly, the area was surrounded by police, emergency services, and shortly after, the judicial delegation arrived. At midday, the funeral home took away the lifeless body of the victim.

a man was shot dead in the Zona FrancaIn fact, in this 2026, there have already been at least six shooting executions in Catalonia, two of which are linked to wars between Eastern clans, a dynamic that was also present in 2025 with two more executions stemming from this conflict.The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has also pointed to a possible link between the events of this Wednesday morning and organized crime, although he has called for caution. The mayor stated that "more police are needed." In statements to Betevé, Collboni assured that they are following incidents like this "with concern" and also called for "stricter penalties regarding arms possession and drug trafficking."