Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot during an election rally at El Golfito Park in Modelia, Bogota. Uribe was rushed to Engativa Medical Centre for emergency treatment. He is said to be in critical condition.
The suspected attacker was identified as a 15-year-old. He was arrested by Bogota police following a gunfight with Uribe's bodyguards. Another person was also reportedly injured in the firing.
JUST IN: Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe shot in Bogota during a political rally.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 8, 2025
According to local reports, Uribe was hit with a bullet and was rushed to the hospital.
“We energetically reject this attack that not only endangers the life of a political leader,… pic.twitter.com/sycXZZZVg2
Videos showed crowd running in panic after multiple shots are fired. Reports said that Uribe was shot thrice, including twice in his head.
Who is Miguel Uribe Turbay?
Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, is the Bogota senator and represents the Democratic Centre party. Uribe who was elected to the Bogota City Council for the Colombian Liberal Party. He lost the Bogota mayoral elections in 2019.
He is the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was abducted by the Medellin Cartel working for Pablo Escobar and later killed during a failed rescue attempt in 1991. Recalling how his mother inspired him, Uribe wrote in 2024, "My mother has been my motivation and example to work for our country. She taught me that principles are not negotiable and the value of integrity. As a journalist, she was faithful to the truth and a believer in the possibility of ending violence in Colombia. Feeling her by my side gives me strength."
His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala, was the Colombian president from 1978 to 1982.
Responding to Uribe's shooting, Colombia's presidency said the government "categorically and forcefully" rejected the violent attack.
President Gustavo Petro send his condolences to Uribe's family, saying, "I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the leftist President Gustavo Petro. "This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government," Rubio said, "Having seen first-hand Colombia's progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can't afford to go back to dark days of political violence."
