Gunmen kill couple in gas station shooting near Cúcuta, Colombia.
NEWS:
A couple was shot dead at a gas station in the Urimaco sector, on the road connecting Cúcuta and El Zulia in Norte de Santander, Colombia, after armed men on motorcycles intercepted their car and opened fire.
The attack happened on Thursday, April 23, 2026, in the afternoon, at a gas station near the entrance to Urimaco. The victims were identified as José Martín Leal and Johana Katerine Castillo.
Security footage and video from the scene show the violent attack at the station. The recording shows armed men arriving around the victims' vehicle and firing into the car at close range. The images establish the shooting, the location of the attack and the fact that the victims were inside the vehicle when the gunmen opened fire.
The video does not establish the motive, the identities of the shooters or who ordered the attack. Those points remain dependent on the investigation.
Early accounts said more than 20 shots were fired. The attack left both victims dead inside the vehicle. Reports from the scene said the couple had stopped at the station after requesting fuel shortly before the shooting.
Later accounts identified the vehicle as a white Chevrolet Onix with license plate GZO-202. The car was reportedly at the Buena Vista gas station, on the Cúcuta-El Zulia road, a short distance from the entrance to Urimaco.
The attackers were described as four armed men traveling on motorcycles. One account said they arrived on two Suzuki GN motorcycles and positioned themselves in front of the car, blocking its exit. The available footage confirms armed men firing at the vehicle, but it does not independently verify the full approach route or the model of the motorcycles.
According to the later reconstruction published from investigative accounts, Leal may have tried to reverse or maneuver the car as the attackers blocked him. That reported detail was not confirmed by a public police document located in the available record. The damage visible and described on the car was consistent with a close-range shooting into the windshield and side windows.
The front windshield and windows were left pierced by bullets. The attack struck both occupants. The bodies remained inside the car after the gunmen fled.
Authorities identified Leal as a man also known by the alias “El Viejo” or “Martín.” He had previously been linked by Colombian prosecutors to the alleged criminal structure known as “Los de Martín” or “Los del Cerro,” which prosecutors said operated in the Cerro Norte neighborhood of Cúcuta's Comuna 6.
In May 2024, Colombia's Attorney General's Office said Leal had been arrested during a search operation carried out by the CTI and National Police. Prosecutors at that time described him as an alleged leader of the group and said he was linked to several criminal actions in Cúcuta. They charged him in that case with aggravated homicide and manufacturing, trafficking or possession of firearms, accessories, parts or ammunition.
That official 2024 statement did not concern the April 2026 gas station shooting. It is relevant only as confirmed background on the allegations that had previously been made against Leal. The same official statement also noted the constitutional presumption of innocence while the legal status of the accused remained before the competent judicial authority.
Reports after the gas station attack said Leal had later regained his freedom. No public court record was found explaining the procedural reason, date or conditions of that release.
Johana Katerine Castillo was identified as Leal's romantic partner. No public record located in the available reporting linked her to any criminal investigation. She was killed in the same attack while inside the vehicle.
One investigative line reported after the shooting was whether the killing was connected to Leal's criminal background or disputes involving the group he was accused of leading. That remains an investigative hypothesis, not a confirmed motive.
Another reported hypothesis was that Leal may have been summoned to the area for a supposed negotiation and then ambushed. That claim appeared in later coverage but was not supported by a public official document located during the review. It should be treated as a reported lead, not a proven fact.
After the shooting, authorities arrived at the station and secured the area. Personnel from the CTI collected evidence and removed the bodies from the vehicle. No verified public update was found identifying arrested suspects, formal charges in the April 2026 attack or a final motive.
The double homicide occurred during a broader wave of violence in the Cúcuta metropolitan area and nearby municipalities. The following morning, the mayor of Cúcuta, Jorge Acevedo, called for an extraordinary security council, citing violent incidents in Cúcuta and El Zulia and asking authorities for a full report on what was happening and what strategies would be implemented.
The security council was not limited to the Urimaco shooting. It was called in response to multiple attacks reported in the region, including killings in El Zulia, rural Cúcuta and the El Talento settlement. Police authorities had warned about the movement of armed-group confrontation into Cúcuta and nearby municipalities.
The confirmed public record on the Urimaco case remains limited to the attack itself, the identification of the two victims, the reported use of motorcycles by the gunmen, the prior official allegations against Leal in a separate 2024 case and the subsequent security response by local authorities. No verified later announcement was found confirming arrests in the gas station shooting.
News story written by DarkGore.
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