Colombian Presidential Hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay Tragically Dies After Being Shot — Here’s What We Know
Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay died in the hospital two months after being shot at a campaign rally. The presidential hopeful was 39. Sen. Uribe was a rising star in the conservative Democratic Center party and polls showed his popularity growing. As a presidential candidate, Sen. Uribe was one of the most vocal critics of the current government under President Gustavo Petro. The motive for the attack is still under investigation.
Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay is dead
Sen. Uribe spent the last two months in a hospital fighting for his life after a gunman shot him at a campaign rally in June. Footage of the incident quickly spread across social media, capturing the moment Senator Uribe was shot. The attacker shot Sen. Uribe on June 7 three times with two shots hitting the politician in the head. He was rushed to the hospital and has undergone several surgeries attempting to save him.
Over the weekend, the hospital shared that Sen. Uribe died after a brain bleed related to the attack. Authorities took a teenager into custody at the scene and have since arrested more people in connection with the attack. Despite the arrests, the motive for the assassination is still unclear and it is not known who ordered the hit and why.
“The government must repudiate the crime and help,” President Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Regardless of ideology, the person and their family, their life and safety, are the government’s priority. We have not persecuted any member of the opposition, nor will we.”
Condolences are filling social media for Sen. Uribe’s family
“May the passing of Miguel Uribe Turbay be an urgent call to awaken the conscience of our beloved Colombia,” Colombian singer Juanes wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”
Former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez also shared condolences. His words elevated Sen. Uribe’s fight for Colombia as one of a rightful path for the country and its people.
Several politicians have posted condolences for the death with political motivations. The death of Sen. Uribe has conjured up memories and fears of politically motivated attacks that plagued Colombia in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Sen. Uribe’s mother was a victim of violence in the ‘90s. Diana Turbay was a journalist in the ‘90s who was kidnapped by a drug cartel with connections to Pablo Escobar. She was kidnapped by members of Los Extraditables, which BBC reports as a collective of members put together by various leading drug lords. The kidnapping was part of a push from drug cartels to end extradition between Colombia and the United States. Sen. Uribe’s mother was killed during a police rescue.
Her death motivated Sen. Uribe’s push to get involved in public service. He was five years old when she was killed.
“If my mother was willing to give her life for a cause, how could I not do the same in life and in politics,” Sen. Uribe said in an interview last year, according to The Associated Press.
