A 15-year-old has been sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention for shooting Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe in June, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The teenager, charged with attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons, “must remain in a specialised care centre for seven years, deprived of liberty.”
Uribe, a 39-year-old opposition senator, was shot in the head during a campaign rally in Bogota and died on August 11 from a cerebral haemorrhage after two months in intensive care. Colombian law prevents modifying charges once accepted by a minor, which is why the teen was not charged with homicide, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The attack mirrored Colombia’s history of political violence, where several presidential candidates were targeted in the 20th century. Video footage from June 7 shows Uribe collapsing after being shot multiple times amid screams from supporters.
The minor fired three shots, including two to the head, before Uribe’s bodyguards wounded and detained him. Five other adults have also been arrested and charged with aggravated homicide in connection to the attack, though authorities have not yet identified who ordered it or their motive.
