The shooting

A man was killed by a single gunshot to the head at approximately 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday 10 June on Calle Balmes, at the intersection with Granada del Penedès. The assailant approached the victim from behind and fired once at point-blank range before fleeing on foot. The victim, a man around 40 years old who has not yet been identified, died instantly. The shooting occurred directly in front of a National Police station, an office that issues ID cards and passports but is staffed by armed officers, and whose security cameras recorded the attack with clarity.

“There were people walking, people going to work and people on terraces who came across this incident.”

The escape

After the shooting, the gunman ran north along Calle Granada del Penedès, turned onto Julián Romea, and reached Plaça Gal·la Placídia. There, at a bus stop, he abandoned the pistol and a mobile phone, hiding the weapon under a cyclist's helmet he had been carrying. He then disappeared. Police have not yet located him. The entire escape route covered at least 300 metres through one of the city's busiest districts.

Context of the papal visit

The killing took place on the second day of Pope Leo XIV's visit to Barcelona. The city was under an exceptional security deployment involving between 6,100 and 7,000 officers, according to different sources. The crime scene is roughly 800 metres from the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Rosselló, where the Pope boarded the popemobile en route to the Sagrada Família. The Catalan police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, have stated that they do not link the homicide to the papal events.

“The murderer fled running no less than 300 metres, to a bus stop where he abandoned the weapon and his cyclist's helmet.”

Organised crime hypothesis

The Mossos d'Esquadra are investigating the killing as a settling of scores between criminal organisations. The primary hypothesis points to a conflict between Montenegrin mafia clans, specifically the Kavac and Skaljari groups, both involved in drug trafficking. The shooting took place on the pavement directly opposite the honorary consulate of Montenegro. This is the sixth firearm homicide in Barcelona this year and the third in the past month. Shootings in the city are up 45% compared to the same period in 2025.

“Catalonia was at risk of becoming a narco-society and we are seeing how we are heading towards that scenario.”

Political reaction

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni admitted his concern and called for a stronger police presence and tougher penalties for weapons possession and drug trafficking. He linked the violence to organised crime but urged caution pending the investigation. Interior minister Núria Parlon convened an urgent meeting with the Mossos leadership to address the escalation. Opposition parties reacted sharply: Jordi Martí of Junts described the climate of gun violence as unsustainable, while the PP's Dani Sirera demanded an urgent meeting of all municipal groups.

“Everything has a solution if priorities are properly focused and good decisions are taken.”

A pattern of violence

The Balmes killing follows a fatal shooting on Sunday night on Calle Minería in the Zona Franca district, where a man died after being shot inside a block of flats. That same street saw another fatal shooting on 16 May, when a man received at least four shots to the torso and head. In mid-April, an execution took place on the terrace of a café in Diagonal Mar in the early afternoon. All six homicides this year are attributed to score-settling between criminal gangs.