A man was shot dead on Balmes Street in Barcelona on Wednesday morning, close to a National Police station. The incident happened minutes before 10am, according to reports.
Mossos d'Esquadra have confirmed the shooting and are investigating the circumstances. It is the third fatal shooting in Barcelona in less than a month.
On 7 June, another man was killed by gunfire in the Zona Franca area, on Minería Street. In mid-May, a separate fatal shooting also took place on the same street in broad daylight. In the 7 June case, witnesses and Mossos officers tried to revive the Serbian victim without success, and the shooter fled before police arrived.
Recent violence has also affected other parts of Catalonia. Less than two weeks ago, a 10-year-old girl was injured in Badalona by a stray bullet during a shootout between two rival clans. Around the same time, another man was wounded by a projectile during a drug-related assault in Tordera, in Barcelona province.
Catalonia has recorded at least 30 shootings so far this year, averaging more than one a week. That is a 45% increase compared with 2025. Many of the incidents are linked to organised crime disputes and have taken place in public spaces.
Police have long warned about armed incidents linked to organised crime, especially drug trafficking. Ramon Chacón, head of the Mossos' General Criminal Investigation Department, said in a Catalunya Ràdio interview that most shootings in the region are intimidatory and are used to mark power or territory.
For more Catalonia news, see our news coverage.