Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe is fighting for his life after being shot multiple times—including twice in the head—during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday. Uribe, 39, a senator from the right-wing Centro Democrático party, was addressing supporters in a public park when a gunman opened fire. According to authorities, a 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene after being shot in the leg during a police chase. He was found carrying a 9mm Glock-style pistol.
Uribe was airlifted to the Santa Fe Foundation Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgeries on his head and left thigh. He remains in critical condition in intensive care. His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, appealed to the nation for prayers, saying, “Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him.”
The brutal attack has sparked widespread condemnation across Colombia. The Centro Democrático party called it a “direct threat to democracy and freedom,” while President Gustavo Petro described it as a “day of pain” in a televised address. “There is a political difference, yes—but only political. What matters most now is ensuring that Dr. Miguel Uribe survives,” President Petro said, urging the public to come together in support.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the attack, labeling it a “direct threat to democracy” and attributing it—without evidence—to “violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government.”
The attack comes amid rising political tension in Colombia. Just a week earlier, Uribe and other opposition leaders criticized President Petro for seeking public support for his reforms, calling the move unconstitutional. Uribe, a fierce critic of Petro, announced his presidential run in October 2024. He comes from a well-known political family. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist killed during a 1991 rescue attempt after being kidnapped by the Medellín cartel.
The violence has raised fears of a return to Colombia’s darker political past, with Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán saying, “We cannot return to situations of political violence, nor to times when violence was used to eliminate those who thought differently.”
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing. The Colombian Defense Ministry has offered a 3 billion peso reward (approximately $730,000) for information that could lead to others involved in the attack.
Despite early optimism for peace following Petro’s 2022 election win, recent months have seen a surge in violence. In April alone, dozens of security personnel were killed in clashes with armed groups, and over 32,000 people were displaced in the northern Catatumbo region due to conflict between rival factions.
As the nation awaits updates on Uribe’s condition, Colombians across the political spectrum are calling for unity, peace, and a rejection of political violence.