The mother of Nacho, the 20-year-old shot dead on Friday in Barcenillas, insists that her son had no criminal ties and demands more police presence. The mayor of Málaga links the crime to drug trafficking on the coast.
The mother of Nacho, the 20-year-old shot last Friday in a square in the La Victoria neighbourhood, has broken her silence with a statement rejecting any connection between her son and illegal activities, and asking the authorities for more police resources. The information, reported by Diario Sur, details that the woman expressed her gratitude to those who helped the young man after the attack.
"My son Nacho was a good boy, hard-working and very loved by his friends. I always knew he was not involved in anything criminal," the mother states in the document. In the same text, the mother appeals to the institutions: "He is a victim of the extreme violence that has taken hold in society, and lately, in Málaga. I ask the authorities to increase police forces to put an end to this scourge."
"My sincerest thanks to the police, the paramedics, and the neighbours who helped him"
The statement comes after the National Police confirmed that the main hypothesis is that the victim was not connected to any criminal organisation or drug trafficking, as this newspaper had previously reported. The events occurred around 11:40 am on Friday in a square in Barcenillas. The young man was sitting on a bench near his home when three individuals approached him and shot him at close range. He was hit by at least two bullets, one in the back and another in a leg.
Despite his injuries, he managed to get up and move downstairs towards Macabeos street to seek refuge in a DIA supermarket. "I don't know why they shot me. I haven't done anything," the victim reportedly said while being attended to by employees and customers of the establishment, according to a witness. The scene caused panic, with one young woman even losing consciousness in the street after seeing the armed men flee. According to some witnesses, the attackers disposed of the gun during their escape.
Emergency medical services arrived at the supermarket doors to provide initial assistance to the victim. After stabilising him 'on site', the 20-year-old was urgently evacuated to the Regional Hospital of Málaga. He was admitted in critical condition to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he fought for his life for hours. Simultaneously, agents from the National Police deployed a security operation at the entrances and surrounding areas of the hospital to protect the injured man from the possibility of a new attack. However, around nine o'clock in the evening that same Friday, doctors confirmed the young man's death due to the severity of his internal injuries.
At the scene, several patrols from the National Police's Citizen Security and the Local Police cordoned off the area to secure the square. A few minutes later, members of the Homicide Group and the Scientific Police took over the crime scene. The agents worked with metal detectors and precision instruments to try to locate shell casings and other material evidence that would help reconstruct the trajectory of the shots and clarify the attack.
Although initially investigators considered the case as a settling of scores due to the suspects' method of operation, all inquiries currently point to the fact that this is not the case regarding the victim. According to his acquaintances, Nacho was not involved in any criminal network. However, investigations suggest that the three arrested, of Swedish nationality, had links to organised crime. It was precisely this affiliation with the underworld that triggered the tragedy: caught up in paranoia between rival gangs, the suspects feared that Nacho was a hitman and would attack first, so they decided to preemptively shoot him at close range.
Thus, the investigation was initially taken over by specialists from the Drug and Organised Crime Unit (Udyco) and the Special Response Group for Organised Crime (Greco) of the Provincial Police Station of Málaga, and the operation to arrest the three involved was executed in record time and in three distinct phases throughout Friday.
Initially, patrols deployed in Barcenillas managed to intercept and arrest one of the suspects in the Capuchinos neighbourhood. Following this first arrest, investigators specialised in drug trafficking located a residence in Málaga city that the alleged perpetrators were using. With the appropriate judicial authorisation, the agents conducted a search of the property, surprising and arresting the second suspect hiding inside. The third participant attempted to evade the police cordon. During his escape, he changed his clothes and altered his appearance.
The mayor of Málaga, Paco de la Torre, has indicated that he links this incident "to the ease with which drug trafficking operates along the entire Andalusian coast, and it is necessary for the Government to take seriously the 600 boats of drug traffickers that bring all kinds of products that then enter the general market." De la Torre emphasised that he did not know exactly what the motives for the shooting in Barcenillas were, but that it often had to do with drug trafficking. He indicated that efforts should be made to reduce the demand for drugs and to work on education because those who consume them "are slaves to drugs." However, he reiterated that the resources should be provided by the Government. "Our (local) police will be there, but this is a matter for the State Security Forces and Corps," he pointed out.
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