Armed attack leaves four dead: the victims shared moments of joy

Barranquilla, Atlántico – A night that promised to be a celebration in the El Carmen neighborhood ended in tragedy when an armed attack left four dead and two wounded last Friday, November 22. The event occurred on the corner of 50th Street and 18th Avenue, while the victims were partying on the terrace of a pool hall, listening to music and drinking alcohol.

Identified victims

Authorities identified the fatal victims as:

Andrés Felipe Berdugo De La Cruz (23 years old), electronic technician and resident of the El Carmen neighborhood, received six shots.

Edwin Horacio Pérez Plata (43 years old), a merchant from the Chiquinquirá neighborhood, was hit by seven bullets.

Felipe Andrés De Las Salas, who suffered two gunshot wounds, one in the hip and another in the abdomen. He died after the vehicle in which he tried to flee crashed into a fence.

Víctor Danilo Olivera Martínez, was taken to Nazareth Hospital, where he died from five bullet wounds.

The wounded were:

Jean Carlos Philips Celis (41 years old), known as "Mono Philips", a merchant from the El Carmen neighborhood, who was shot in the left shoulder.

Jorge Luis Noguera Rivadeneira (37 years old), wounded in the abdomen, who has a criminal record for theft in 2013.

Details

Witnesses report that a group of hitmen arrived at the scene on a motorcycle and a vehicle, indiscriminately opening fire on the people who were on the pool hall terrace. According to preliminary reports, three of the victims worked in an electronics workshop located in the north of the city, including Jean Carlos Philips Celis, who appeared in photographs on social networks related to said workshop.

A video taken by the victims minutes before the attack shows the atmosphere of camaraderie they shared, singing vallenatos and enjoying the music. The joy turned into chaos when the shots interrupted the tranquility of the night.

The Metropolitan Police of Barranquilla has formed a special team of the Sijín to clarify the events. Although the authorities handle the hypothesis of a possible settling of scores between criminal gangs, it has not been officially confirmed. Colonel Dave Figueroa, operational commander, offered a reward of up to 20 million pesos for information that leads to the capture of those responsible.

“We invite the community to collaborate in this investigation to bring justice to the affected families,” said Colonel Figueroa.