Colombian Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe Dies Two Months After Being Shot
BAGOTA – Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe has died, two months after being shot in the head in a targeted attack that shocked the nation.
The 39-year-old politician was struck by three bullets — two in the head and one in the leg — during a campaign rally on 7 June in Bogotá. His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed his death on social media, calling him “the love of my life” and “the best father” to their children.
A teenage suspect, arrested while fleeing the scene, has been charged with attempted murder and pleaded not guilty. Authorities have also detained several others accused of aiding the gunman. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
Uribe had been hospitalized at Bogotá’s Santa Fe clinic since the shooting, undergoing multiple surgeries to treat severe brain injuries. Thousands of Colombians had joined silent marches in support of his recovery.
Elected senator in 2022, Uribe was seeking his party’s nomination for the 2026 presidential election. The attack has revived painful memories of the 1980s and 1990s, when political violence claimed the lives of several Colombian leaders.
His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by the drug lord-led group Los Extraditables and killed during a failed rescue attempt. Uribe often cited her legacy as his inspiration to serve the country.
