A 25-year-old man has been arrested in southern Spain on suspicion of killing his parents and injuring four others in a late-night shooting, according to police.
The attack took place at around 23:00 local time on Monday, May 14th in the town of El Ejido, near Almería. Authorities said two people died at the scene, while four others—including two children—were seriously injured and taken to hospital. One of the injured is believed to be the suspect’s seven-month-old son, according to local media, while another child, aged 18 months, was reportedly among the victims.
The suspect fled briefly before turning himself in at a local police station. Spain’s Guardia Civil said it is investigating the incident and working to establish a possible motive. The identities of those involved have not been officially released.
Mass shootings in Spain are relatively rare. According to Project Insight, four such incidents were recorded in the country between 2000 and 2023.
The tragedy broadly coincided with two U.S. gunmen opening fire at a mosque in San Diego in an attack that left three adults dead, including a security guard. The now-deceased suspects have been identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, who turned their weapons on themselves.
Local law enforcement said the shooting is being treated as a hate crime. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl stated:
Because of the Islamic centre location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not… There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved.
.jpg){kind=link}