Colombian Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe Dies Two Months After Campaign Rally Shooting

Colombian presidential candidate and conservative senator Miguel Uribe has died, two months after being shot at a campaign rally, his family announced Monday. His death has revived fears of a return to the country’s violent political past.

Uribe, 39, a grandson of former president Julio César Turbay (1978–1982), was shot in the head and leg on June 7 during a rally in Bogotá by a suspected 15-year-old hitman. Despite initial signs of recovery, doctors revealed on Saturday that he had suffered a new brain hemorrhage, which proved fatal.

“To break up a family is the most horrific act of violence that can be committed,” his widow, Maria Claudia Tarazona, said at his wake, where she thanked medical staff for their efforts. His body will lie in state at Congress in Bogotá until Wednesday for public viewing.

Authorities have arrested six suspects, including the alleged teenage shooter, who was captured at the scene by Uribe’s bodyguards. Police later apprehended an alleged mastermind, Elder Jose Arteaga Hernandez, alias “El Costeño,” and linked the attack to a dissident faction of the defunct FARC guerrilla group.

Uribe, a leading contender in the 2026 presidential election, was a vocal critic of President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” policy, which seeks dialogue with all armed groups, including drug traffickers. Petro, despite their political rivalry, condemned the assassination, stressing that the safety of Colombians was his top priority.

The killing has stirred painful memories in Colombia, where four presidential candidates were assassinated during the height of the drug war in the 1980s and 1990s. Uribe’s own mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in a botched 1991 police operation to rescue her from Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel.

Uribe’s political career began at age 26 on Bogotá’s city council, where he later became its youngest chairperson. He served as an aide to the mayor, ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2019, and was elected to the Senate in 2022 with the highest vote count in the nation.

Former president Álvaro Uribe, founder of the Democratic Center party and unrelated to the slain politician, mourned his death, writing: “Evil destroys everything, they killed hope. May Miguel’s struggle be a light that illuminates Colombia’s rightful path.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed condolences and urged justice for those responsible, saying the United States stands in solidarity with Uribe’s family and the Colombian people.

Uribe is survived by his young son and three teenage stepdaughters.