Police are investigating a shooting in Viladecans, in the Barcelona metropolitan area, after a bar argument on Wednesday evening. The incident happened at around 21:30 on Avenida Siglo XXI, according to sources from the Generalitat de Catalunya Police.

Mossos d'Esquadra officers found several shell casings at the scene, but did not locate anyone directly involved. Municipal sources said there was a fight “in front of an establishment”, and that the possible perpetrators fled when police units arrived. No injuries or arrests have been reported.

The bar where the argument began reopened the following day, suggesting limited disruption for local businesses in the area. Avenida Siglo XXI links Viladecans' business park with the Sales neighbourhood, and sources familiar with the area say it is not usually a conflict zone.

The case comes amid a run of firearm incidents across the Barcelona metropolitan area in recent weeks. Last Saturday, a fatal shooting took place on Carrer Mineria in Barcelona's Sants-Montjuïc district. Hours later, Guàrdia Urbana officers in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat arrested a person linked to another non-fatal shooting on Carrer Batllori in the Sant Josep neighbourhood. On 4 May, another firearm incident was reported in L'Hospitalet's La Torrassa neighbourhood.

Police in the wider area have also dealt with similar cases in Sant Adrià de Besòs, where officers arrested a group linked to several firearm incidents since 2024 in La Mina. Mossos d'Esquadra officials have said there is a normalisation of “score-settling with bullets” within organised crime circles. Catalonia recorded two shootings per week last year, with seven deaths across the region. Mossos d'Esquadra data shows a 30% rise in firearm incidents compared with the previous year, and more than half involved warning shots fired into the air.

The investigation is ongoing. For more Barcelona crime coverage, see our Community and Sport pages, and follow local updates from the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Originally published by La Vanguardia Catalonia. Read original article.