A quiet neighborhood in Pereira, Colombia, woke to tragedy early Sunday morning after a man allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend and the man she was with, then shot himself. Police say the attacker, 32-year-old Diego Alfonso López Umaña, apparently could not accept the end of his relationship with Georgina José Azócar López, a 25-year-old Venezuelan woman.
Officers rushed to a home in the Palmar de Villa Verde neighborhood around 3:20 a.m. on September 7 after neighbors reported screams and gunshots. When police arrived, a man inside refused to let them in. Fearing for the safety of those inside, officers forced entry, and the suspect reportedly shot himself in the head. He was rushed to San Jorge Hospital but died hours later from his injuries.
Inside the home, officers found two people dead: Azócar López, who had been shot three times, and Valentín Hoyos González, a 25-year-old lawyer from Manizales, who had been shot once. A firearm and several shell casings were recovered at the scene.
Investigators believe Azócar López had recently ended her relationship with López Umaña and had begun seeing Hoyos González. Neighbors said the attacker had reportedly been drinking at a nearby bar before the shooting. Friends and family of both victims have expressed outrage online, with many describing the case as another instance of femicide in Colombia.
Read the full story at El Tiempo for more details on the ongoing investigation.
Source: Las hipótesis que rodean un triple crimen en Pereira: esto se sabe del caso (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Tony Webster.