Three young men have been killed in an apparently gang-related drive-by shooting that left two further youths and a policeman injured in Medellin, Antioquia department, El Colombiano reported Wednesday.
Armed men wearing black approached a section of Manrique Santa Ines, a northeastern hillside neighborhood of Medellin, and proceeded to open fire upon several youths who had congregated in the street.
The attackers were allegedly part of “Los Balcones,” a local gang, although their direct motives for the seemingly targeted shootings remain unknown.
The three murdered young men were aged between 19 and 22. The two surviving youths, both seriously injured, reportedly underwent surgery until late Tuesday night.
Policemen conducting surveillance in the area were apparently quick to confront the gunmen, resulting in the injury of one officer who was shot in the leg. Three suspects were apprehended in possession of a sub-machine gun, a silencer and three revolvers.
Police have today been stepping up stop and search tactics due to the surge in armed clashes between rival criminal gangs in that area of the Antioquian capital.
