Man shot dead in his hospital room in Tarragona, Mossos investigate

Shooting inside the hospital

Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police, are investigating the death of a man who was shot while he was a patient in the Joan XXIII hospital in Tarragona. According to the police statement reported by Europa Press and La Vanguardia, the alert came at 03:15 on Thursday, 29 October, and several patrol units went to the hospital. Officers found the man seriously wounded in one of the rooms, and he died shortly afterwards despite medical assistance. The Servei d'Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) activated a psychological support team to assist health professionals at the centre.

An earlier shooting in Salou

The victim had already been shot once. El País reports that on Friday, 16 October, he was walking along a street in Salou when a car pulled up and its occupants opened fire, hitting him several times. He survived those wounds and was admitted to the hospital. According to police sources cited by the same outlet, he had been under police protection for several days, but that protection had since been withdrawn. El Periódico places the attack on the night of 16 October, says the car fled, and reports that the man was wounded in the legs and taken to hospital by ambulance. El Periódico also says the killing was not the first attempt on his life. ABC describes the victim as having been wounded by several gunshots in Salou a few days before the killing.

Investigation and open questions

The Divisió d'Investigació Criminal (DIC) has taken over the case, which is under judicial secrecy. Police have not released the victim's identity or reported any arrests, and investigators are trying to identify the gunman or gunmen and establish a motive. El Periódico, citing El Caso, reports that the gunman is believed to have entered the victim's room and that police have set up an operation to catch him. The same paper says investigators are examining the victim's circle to determine the causes of the killing. Police sources quoted by El Periódico describe the killing as the work of hired gunmen, judging by the way the attacker acted and fled.

Wider context in Catalonia

ABC reports that eight people have been shot dead in Catalonia so far this year and that about a hundred firearm incidents were recorded up to September. The Mossos have warned for years about the spread of firearms, which they link especially to organised crime tied to drug trafficking. Catalonia has opened a legal route to increase penalties for illegal possession of firearms, according to ABC. The Joan XXIII killing adds to these figures, while the investigation remains under secrecy and no suspect has been named in the reports.