An attack left three people dead in a rural area of Gchantivá, a municipality located in the central Colombian department of Boyacá. Regional officials reported the incident on Monday, noting that unidentified suspects carried out the killings before attempting to flee the scene. In the ensuing hours, law enforcement moved quickly to respond, culminating in the detention of one suspected gunman while another remained at large. The briefing was led by the Boyacá Police Commander, Colonel María Margarita Mantilla, who provided the latest details on the case.
According to local police, officers were alerted by residents after a gunfire incident in the Minas village within the La Laguna district. When patrol units reached the designated site, they observed a pickup truck from which two men were exiting. One of the men allegedly fired a weapon at the officers, triggering a defensive response from the police team. The confrontation and subsequent pursuit ended with the arrest of a person found in possession of a pistol loaded with 23 rounds, and authorities reported that a vehicle had been seized as part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, the investigation at the crime scene uncovered three deceased individuals inside a nearby residence. The victims were a mother and her son who suffered fatal injuries from gunfire, along with a third neighbor from the same area who was found at the location. Colonel Mantilla described the discovery as a troubling development that will shape the ongoing inquiry into the events surrounding the massacre.
Authorities suggested that the violence could be linked to conflicts within a family, though they stressed that this hypothesis remains under verification as the probe proceeds. The arrested suspect is slated to be presented before the prosecutor’s office, while investigators continue to identify another possible participant who may have been involved in the attack. Public cooperation remains a key element of the investigation, and officials urged anyone with information to come forward to help close the case.
Statistics from the NGO Development and Peace Studies Institute, known as Indepaz, indicate that there have been 21 massacres in Colombia so far this year. The number underscores the persistent challenge facing security forces across the country, particularly in rural areas where access to information and resources can complicate rapid responses. Local communities in Boyacá and neighboring departments have expressed concern about safety and the need for sustained investigations that can deter similar acts in the future. The authorities reiterated their commitment to transparency as the case develops, emphasizing that every lead will be pursued with careful scrutiny and that victims and their families will receive support as the investigation progresses.