The Mossos decouple the two last deadly shootings from the Zona Franca

BarcelonaIt was the afternoon of May 16 when a man was shot in the head on Carrer de la Mineria in Barcelona, in the Zona Franca. Despite attempts to revive him, the man died. Twenty-three days later, another man walking down the same street in the city was shot several times in the back. The story repeated itself: it was a Sunday afternoon, with many neighbors in the street, and despite resuscitation attempts, he ended up dying. These are two practically identical types of homicide, frequent among drug clans seeking revenge. Due to the proximity and similarities, when the Mossos investigators arrived at the crime scene this Sunday, they asked themselves a question: could the two crimes be related?

For now, the answer from sources consulted by ARA is no, that the police are not working with the hypothesis that the two crimes are related. In fact, in the May homicide, the hypothesis that it could be a drug conflict was also considered, as the victim had a record for crimes against public health. However, now all hypotheses are open and they are looking at other motivations besides drug conflict.

On the other hand, in the crime that was registered this Sunday, the main hypothesis on the table for the police is that it would be revenge between Eastern European mafias involved in drug trafficking. The police are making arrangements with police from other countries to try to obtain more information about the victim and the incident. The same sources clarify that the investigation is in a very early stage and that, moreover, it is under judicial secrecy. Some Serbian media outlets are already talking about this homicide in Barcelona, but they also link it to no specific conflict.

The one who has spoken out after this new shooting is councilor Núria Parlon. The head of the Interior has explained that they do not rule out working to promote stricter legislation regarding the possession of firearms, a necessity that she has assured exists "especially in Catalonia but also in the State as a whole". In addition, she added that strengthening the Kanpai plan, designed to combat repeat offending, in the Zona Franca "can be a useful tool".

Message of calm

The Barcelona City Council has also wanted to send a message of "calm" to the residents. The councilor for the Sants-Montjuïc district, Raquel Gil, recalled that this is the third incident in the Marina neighborhood in a month – in April there was another attempted execution by gunfire in the same area – and explained that what security forces indicate is that these are deaths related to international organized crime. "It is not a response to a strictly neighborhood dynamic," she assured. However, she understands that "it worries the neighbors and concerns them." In fact, the neighbors were the first to try to revive the victim. As the shooting occurred inside a block of houses, many residents saw the scene and also recorded it.

The Mossos are also concerned about the increase in incidents with firearms, especially those linked to drug trafficking and organized crime. According to the count by the police union USPAC, as of June 1, there have been 28 shootings in the country, 45% more than the previous year.