Four white candles light up a corner of Madrid’s Plaza de Carabanchel, where a brawl between youth gangs with firearms took place at eleven o’clock on Wednesday evening, leaving five people between the ages of 19 and 24 seriously injured. Four of the victims were shot, while the fifth suffered cuts with a knife. According to initial investigations, four hooded men arrived at a small park with tables at the junction of Via de Carpetana and Avenida de Valvanera, where there were a large number of young people, and began shooting. After the attack, they escaped in an Uber that was located shortly afterwards in the Usera district. The police have arrested two alleged perpetrators, aged 17 and 22, who are accused of attempted murder.
It all started when at least four young men with their faces covered approached the square and started shooting indiscriminately. They managed to shoot three of them. Two of them were left lying there, one with two shots to the chest and another with impacts in the lumbar area. Another of the injured ran to a bus shelter near the Carpetana metro stop and was hit by two shots to the back and arm. A fourth victim was attacked with a knife and had wounds in three different points of the body. All are in serious condition. At least one of the victims was taken by car by one of his relatives to the hospital. Eyewitnesses say they heard at least six shots.
A few minutes after the attack, the VTC vehicle in which they escaped was intercepted in Usera. The police are investigating the relationship between the driver and the participants in the brawl. The investigation has been taken over by the Provincial Information Brigade together with the Judicial Police Brigade.
According to initial investigations, several witnesses have identified the attackers as members of the Trinitarios gang. In small groups around the scene of the attack, residents commented that this is an all too common scene at that point and that they need solutions. One of them is Javier L., who has been in the Carabanchel district for 17 years and who points out that “more lighting should be put in and the police presence should be reinforced.” All residents remembered the attack with very similar characteristics suffered by a boy, allegedly a member of the Dominican Don’t Play, in August 2023 at precisely the same point. The victim was wounded in the back and neck and was also shot in the buttock. Three Trinitarios were arrested for this attack, one of them a minor.
Numerous patrols and agents from the Scientific Police have arrived at the scene to carry out an inspection of the scene. Numerous beer bottles, food wrappers, a chess board, three scooters belonging to the young people who were in the square at the time and numerous items of clothing have been left at the scene. There is a Turkish food establishment in the square, but its owner has preferred not to comment on what happened and has explained that he was in the kitchen when everything happened.
What matters most is what happens closer to home. To make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe.
KEEP READING
#brawl #youth #gangs #firearms #leaves #injured #Carabanchel