Badalona’s Sant Roc neighbourhood has been reinforced by Mossos d’Esquadra riot police after a shooting on Sunday night left a minor lightly injured. The extra presence includes officers from the Brimo riot squad and the Arro public order unit, and will remain in place “as long as necessary”, according to Intendent Toni Sánchez, head of the northern metropolitan police region.
The incident involved an exchange of gunfire between two groups. The minor suffered a light arm injury, likely from shrapnel, and family members took the girl to Hospital del Esperit Sant in Santa Coloma de Gramenet for treatment. Sánchez said she is recovering well.
The case is being handled by the Mossos criminal investigation unit. Police have not publicly detailed the exact trigger for the dispute, but sources said on Monday that it stems from clashes between groups competing for control of empty flats in the area, which are then turned into indoor cannabis plantations.
Sánchez described the shooting as an “exceptional event” that needs an “exceptional police response”. He told Rac1 that the investigation is active and said he did not want to comment further in case it affected police work.
The deployment comes amid wider concern about firearms and clashes between rival groups in Catalonia. Last month, a resident of Barcelona’s Vila Olímpica neighbourhood was also lightly wounded by gunfire during the fatal shooting of a Serbian citizen.
For more Catalonia-wide reporting, see our news coverage.