The Young Hitman Who Tried to Kill Miguel Uribe: ‘I’m Sorry, I Did It for Money, for My Family’

Colombia continues to be in shock following the attack on Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay on Saturday. Images from the attack, which occurred at an impromptu rally in a park in western Bogotá, show a tall young man approaching the politician from behind. When he is just a few meters away, he raises a pistol and fires several shots, causing Uribe to fall to the ground from two bullets to the head. A brief chase amid the chaos ended with the capture of the young man, who was shot in the leg. Authorities have revealed that he is a 14-year-old minor—although early reports claimed he was 15—who was part of a government program for youth and had a “completely conflictive” personality. The Prosecutor’s Office charged him on Tuesday with attempted homicide and illegal possession of firearms.

The minor is currently hospitalized at a clinic near the scene of the incident and is guarded by dozens of police officers. Authorities describe him as the final link in the chain of those responsible for the attack, as it is highly probable he is a hired assassin, according to the Prosecutor’s initial line of inquiry. “We are fully aware that this young man who was apprehended is merely a material executor,” stated Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo.

The teenage shooter lived with an aunt in Villas de Alcalá, a low-income neighborhood located in western Bogotá. Authorities raided the home on Sunday in search of evidence to clarify the investigation. The minor had a sparse support network: his mother has passed away and his father is not in the country. Various reports indicate he is in Poland, where he supposedly traveled to enlist as a volunteer in the war in Ukraine. In this context, the minor was contacted by the District Institute for the Protection of Childhood and Youth (Idipron) at the end of May to participate in social programs run by the Bogotá Mayor’s Office.

President Gustavo Petro has confirmed this version: “The district government had already identified the conflictive nature of the child assassin; he was taken in by one of its programs and moved into one of my government’s programs: Youths in Peace,” he indicated on X. This program, created by Petro, aims to help Colombian youth living in extreme poverty or residing in regions affected by widespread violence, partly to prevent them from falling into networks of violence and illegality. “The report I have from professionals indicates he showed a completely conflictive personality, with no capacity to establish social bonds. He lasted two months, did not attend any classes, and left voluntarily,” added the president.

The young man’s arrest occurred just minutes after the attack, during which he used a semi-automatic Glock pistol. Although he managed to flee the scene, several police officers and security personnel shot him in the leg and apprehended him while he was limping. In a video recorded at the time of his arrest, he can be heard saying, “It was the man of the pot, I’ll tell you who it was, let me give you the numbers,” while being restrained on the ground. According to police sources cited by El Tiempo, there are two “pots” in the minor’s neighborhood—areas where micro-trafficking networks operate—that are now being tracked. In the footage, he can also be seen shouting and clarifying: “Sorry, I did it for money, for my family.”

The fact that the attacker is a minor has opened a debate regarding his judicial future. The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), the state agency responsible for protecting children and adolescents, condemned the “manipulation” and instrumentalization of youths to commit criminal acts, a statement that was met with rejection from sectors demanding that the minor be tried as an adult. Astrid Cáceres, director of ICBF, noted that he wants to cooperate with justice. “There are already agreements with the Prosecutor’s Office to ensure safety conditions for the boy, exceptional conditions for the case we have,” the official stated.

The detained minor has been assigned a public defender and during the hearing on Tuesday, accompanied by a social worker, he denied the charges against him. The Prosecutor’s Office has charged him with attempted homicide and illegal possession of firearms. As explained by the Attorney General on Monday, Colombian law understands that these young offenders are victims of context, which facilitates negotiations with justice.

If found guilty, the young man will not go to prison: he will be placed in one of the so-called Specialized Care Centers, where minors aged between 14 and 17 who have committed a crime are held. The hearing was scheduled for Monday but was postponed at the request of the medical team providing care.