The Costa del Sol has kicked off the holiday season with a bang – quite literally – after registering at least four shootings in the past 10 days.
The majority of the bullets have been fired in Marbella, where the most serious incident caused a young man to be hospitalised with a gunshot wound to the leg.
The violent episodes began on December 2, when at least three shots were fired shortly after 1pm on Calle Jose Iturbi, in the area of Las Albarizas.
Two of the bullets hit a parked car’s windscreen and a bus stop, but fortunately, no one was caught in the crossfire.
It appears the shots were fired by an individual in a car, who quickly fled the scene. Invesitgators believe the incident stemmed from a traffic dispute between rival clan members.
A day later (December 3), a 26-year-old was hit by a bullet in the tibia at around 10pm on Avenida Miguel de Cervantes in Nueva Andalucia.
Photos taken by the Spanish Eye on Thursday morning showed where police tape had sealed off the scene.
One local resident told this paper: ‘It was quite scary hearing the shots, I just hope the victim is okay.’
They said that ‘unfortunately’ the crime is ‘not surprising’, adding: ‘We all know that this is a gangster’s paradise so I think we’re a bit desensitised to it all now.
‘This is certainly not the first shooting in Nueva Andalucia and it won’t be the last, just don’t get involved with the wrong people and you won’t be in the firing line.’
Three days later (December 6), a 41-year-old man was shot in the face in Torremolinos.
He reportedly arrived at the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in the early hours of that Saturday morning, with a gunshot wound to the face.
According to police sources cited by Spanish press, the victim told doctors he was shot while buying drugs, though he offered few other details and has not been cooperative with the investigation.
On December 10, the spotlight was back on Marbella when footage emerged of a dramatic armed response by plain-clothed police in San Pedro de Alcantara.
The clip, shared by @marbellasequeja, showed multiple men standing against a wall while being searched, before armed officers were seen pointing their guns towards the driver of a car.
The dramatic incident is believed to have unfolded on Calle Marques de Estella. The police did not respond to the Spanish Eye’s request for comment.
Finally, on December 12, a criminal gang allegedly shot at officers while making a getaway in eastern Marbella.
The dramatic scenes unfolded shortly before 9am in a wooded area near the Ricmar residential zone.
Witnesses called emergency services after hearing several gunshots and becoming alarmed.
Others claimed they heard a man shouting ‘police’, in what they believed at the time to be a cry for help.
Despite the exchange, there were no casualties among officers or members of the public.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
