BARCELONA, Spain — A man was fatally shot in the head in the heart of Barcelona on Wednesday morning in what appears to be an execution-style killing, occurring just as the city remains on high alert for the ongoing apostolic visit of Pope Leo XIV.
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The deadly incident unfolded at approximately 9:50 a.m. at the intersection of Carrer de Balmes and Travessera de Gràcia, one of the city’s most prominent and bustling thoroughfares. According to eyewitness accounts, the assailant approached the victim from behind and fired a lethal shot to the head. The gunman allegedly stepped closer to deliver a second shot but, realizing the victim had already perished, immediately fled the scene on foot.
The Mossos d’Esquadra received emergency calls reporting a deceased individual in the street and swiftly dispatched officers who confirmed the death upon arrival. The Criminal Investigation Division has assumed control of the case, launching a comprehensive manhunt for the shooter. Investigators later recovered the firearm used in the assassination at the scene. The case has been transferred to the investigating magistrate at the Barcelona Court of Instance, while forensic teams continue to process the crime scene to identify the victim and establish a definitive motive.
#MNTV ❗ BUSCAN A SOSPECHOSO TRAS CRIMEN ❗
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🔴 Las autoridades de Barcelona mantienen la búsqueda del presunto responsable del asesinato de un hombre, quien recibió un disparo en la cabeza a plena luz del día en una de las calles más transitadas de la ciudad. El sospechoso logró… pic.twitter.com/l8PsmrOh4c
The location of the murder is situated in close proximity to Carrer de Rosselló and Avinguda Diagonal, the very area from which the papal motorcade is scheduled to depart this afternoon for the Sagrada Familia. Due to the pontiff’s visit, the surrounding streets have been strictly closed to vehicular traffic and heavily fortified. However, police sources have explicitly dismissed any connection between the assassination and the papal visit, noting that the city’s security apparatus was already operating at maximum capacity to protect the high-profile event.
This latest homicide underscores a troubling surge in lethal gun violence in the Catalan capital. The shooting on Wednesday comes merely two days after a man was killed by gunfire in an interior courtyard on Carrer de Mineria in the city’s Zona Franca district. That location is the same street where another fatal shooting occurred on May 16, prompting widespread concern over the escalating violence linked to organized crime networks in Barcelona.
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As the manhunt for the gunman continues, law enforcement agencies are working to determine if this latest execution is connected to the recent wave of fatal shootings in the city.
