Guardia Civil agent shoots ex-partner dead at Llanes barracks before dying in shootout with colleagues

The shooting

A Guardia Civil agent named Dámaso, 49, entered the barracks in Llanes, Asturias, shortly before 13:30 on August 5, 2026, and shot his ex-partner Laura, also a Guardia Civil agent, in a first-floor office where she was working. Another agent who intervened to help her was seriously wounded by gunfire. During his attempt to flee, Dámaso opened fire on other agents present in the building, who returned fire with their service weapons, leaving him seriously wounded. He barricaded himself in the garage of the barracks before being subdued. Dámaso died at 15:30 while receiving medical attention in a mobile ICU ambulance.

How the weapon was obtained

Dámaso had been stationed in the Zamora command for nine years but traveled to Llanes, where he and Laura had originally met when they shared a posting there. According to sources from the Instituto Armado cited by Europa Press, he stole the weapon used in the killing from a colleague after being informed this week that he was being removed from service. The fact that he was able to reach his ex-partner despite being stationed far away and despite her being registered in the VioGen gender violence monitoring system has raised questions about a possible chain of failures within the Guardia Civil.

History of violence and the VioGen system

Laura and Dámaso had been separated since 2019 and were in the middle of divorce proceedings. They had three daughters in common. Dámaso had previously been arrested for attempted assault against Laura in front of two of their daughters, which led Laura to file a complaint. A court convicted him, but because the sentence was under two years, it did not entail prison time. Laura was entered into the VioGen system, which assigned her a protection agent and established a restraining order against Dámaso. However, because the risk level did not reach the high or extreme grade, the agent was not assigned to her around the clock. The Guardia Civil also moved Laura to a different posting, though she still depended on the Llanes barracks.

Reactions and broader context

The Ministry of Equality's delegation against gender violence announced on the social network X that it was gathering data on the killing, calling it a suspected case of gender violence. According to ABC, Laura is the 34th woman killed in a gender violence case in Spain in 2026. The Unión de Guardias Civiles (UniónGC) expressed its condolences to the family, colleagues, and friends of the victim and condemned any form of gender violence with maximum firmness. The association also wished a full recovery to the agent who was seriously wounded during the incident. The Guardia Civil itself lamented the crime in a message conveying its condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the victim.