A shooting and the explosion of a device in a backpack leaves one policeman dead and a minor injured in Oviedo

BarcelonaA National Police officer has died and another has been seriously injured in the explosion of a backpack with a device found this Tuesday early in the morning in an apartment in Oviedo. In the same building, a shooting also took place moments before the explosion due to a neighbor dispute that left a 17-year-old girl injured. The police are investigating these two events as related and are looking for a man who is allegedly both the author of the shots and the owner of the backpack that imploded.

In fact, according to Efe, this alleged perpetrator has already been identified. He is a man who has multiple records for common delinquency, which would rule out the hypothesis of a terrorist motive. The authorities warn that he could be armed.

The shooting was recorded around 7:30 AM and the girl was transferred to the Central University Hospital of Asturias (HUCA) to be treated for her injuries and is out of danger. After having attended to the victim, the authorities found a backpack with a possible explosive device on the landing of the dwelling, which is why the canine unit and the explosives deactivation specialists (Tedax) were notified.

The Tedax decided to take the backpack out to the street to avoid any danger to the neighbors and it was while handling it that it exploded. A sub-inspector from the canine unit and the dog lost their lives during this operation. In parallel, one of the Tedax specialists lost a leg and underwent emergency surgery at the HUCA, where he is stable despite the severity.

The National Police continue to collect information about the events at the building, located on Rafael Urrusti Street, in an area of social housing in the Villafría neighborhood, southeast of the Asturian capital. In principle, everything is attributed to a neighbor dispute. In parallel, the authorities have launched a wide search operation for the alleged perpetrator, with road closures and access controls in the city.

Expressions of condolence

Oviedo City Council has already announced that it will decree two days of mourning, this Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Asturian parliament has joined in with a minute of silence by the deputies at the end of the plenary session. In parallel, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has expressed his deep shock and praised the "courage" of the agents.

The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, have also conveyed their support to the security forces following the officer's death and have coincided in demanding the recognition of officers as a high-risk profession. For its part, the National Police, just like the Civil Guard, has shown its dismay at the officer's death.