Barcelona’s Zona Franca district is back in the spotlight after a man was shot dead on Sunday evening, the second fatal shooting on Carrer Mineria in less than a month.
Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, said the victim, a foreign national, was found injured in an inner courtyard of a block on Carrer Mineria at around 21:00. He had four gunshot wounds to the back. Officers and residents tried to resuscitate him, but he died from his injuries.
The attacker fled towards Gran Via and has not been identified. Police are treating the case as a possible settling of scores linked to drug trafficking. A public order operation was set up overnight in the area to prevent further incidents, according to police sources.
The case drew a quick political reaction after a video spread online showing the injured man on the ground as police and residents tried to help. Dani Sirera, a Barcelona city councillor for the Partido Popular and a candidate for mayor, said on social media that residents were facing another intolerable episode in an area marked by insecurity and abandonment.
This latest death follows another shooting on the same street on 16 May, when a 43-year-old Spanish man was shot multiple times in the back and head while walking in a busy commercial area. The Mossos d’Esquadra are checking whether the two killings are connected.
Zona Franca is one of Barcelona’s main industrial and logistics areas, and police have also reported several fights in the past month, mainly involving a group of minors allegedly carrying out robberies. For readers following local crime coverage, see our community and sport pages for wider city updates.
The shooting comes as Catalonia continues to see a rise in gun crime. By early June, the Mossos had recorded more than 30 shootings this year. In 2025, police recorded 93 shootings across Catalonia, up from 69 in 2024. Other recent cases mentioned by police include incidents in Badalona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Tordera, Viladecans, Sabadell, La Florida and La Mina.
The surge in violence also comes ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Barcelona. The Mossos d’Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana de Barcelona are due to deploy more than 6,000 officers over the three-day visit to manage security and traffic across the city.
Originally published by El Periódico Barcelona. Read the original report. For official police information, see the Mossos d’Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana de Barcelona.
