Suspected shooter still believed to be ‘on the run’
One woman has died, and two other people (a man and a woman) are being treated in hospital after what has been described as “a family argument” descended into chaos outside a shopping centre in Viseu yesterday evening.
The man suspected of “being responsible” for the gunshots left the vicinity by car, and is believed to have fled the city before police were able to organise a tail.
This morning, authorities say they are looking for two people (one already identified in the press as ‘José Carlos’): the suspected shooter and his accomplice. Various search operations took place through the night, extending to the city of Porto.
According to reports, police know the licence plate and make of car used by the suspect, which led them to follow and intercept a number of similar vehicles, again without any success.
As to the motive behind this tragedy, it is being described as both a ‘family argument’ and ‘disagreement between rival families’.
The dead woman was 44 years of age. The other injured woman is 23, and the male victim in his 40s. Neither of the living victims are thought to be at risk of not surviving their injuries.
In something of a first, reports have clearly identified all those involved as “of gypsy ethnicity” (this is not something usually done when rival families attack each other, they are generally simply referred to as ‘rival families’). According to Viseu mayor Fernando Ruas, the ‘disagreement’ began in the shopping centre, and then ‘escalated’ once the various parties reached the outside.
An amateur video published on the website of SIC Notícias, and throughout social media, captured the moment when the victim who died was shot.
PSP police guarantee that they have all the evidence they need, it is simply a question of capturing the two male suspects – an operation which is counting on the collaboration with GNR police, whose jurisdiction is out of town and city limits.
