An injured man admitted to Hospital Joan XXIII in Tarragona was shot and killed inside his room early Thursday morning, sparking a major manhunt across the region. The victim, who was of Turkish nationality, had been recovering from a separate street shooting that occurred in Salou on October 16, according to regional reporting by El Caso.
The Early Morning Attack at Hospital Joan XXIII
Mossos d’Esquadra received an emergency alert at 3:15 a.m. Thursday regarding an armed assault inside the Tarragona medical facility. Multiple police patrols were dispatched to the hospital, where officers found the patient suffering from critical gunshot wounds. Despite immediate medical intervention by hospital staff, the victim succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators determined that the assailant, or multiple attackers, managed to enter the victim’s hospital room during the early hours and fired three shots. The perpetrators fled the scene before police arrived. Following the attack, authorities launched a high-security operation known as Operation Cage, mobilizing municipal police and regional units to seal off the surrounding area and hunt for the suspects.
Contrasting Security Measures Following the Salou Incident
The victim had been receiving hospital care following an October 16 attack in Salou, where a gunman opened fire from a moving vehicle along Prat d’en Carbó street, striking him in both legs. Catalan police had initially provided a security detail at the hospital but withdrew protection days prior to Thursday’s fatal breach. Investigators reportedly concluded that the patient faced no active threat of a secondary attack, a security assessment that preceded the fatal execution inside his room.
Regional media reported that the initial investigation into the Salou shooting had stalled because the victim refused to cooperate with law enforcement. The Divisió d’Investigació Criminal (DIC) of the Mossos d’Esquadra has now taken charge of a joint homicide probe, working to establish a direct connection between the October street shooting and Thursday’s targeted hospital killing. The court overseeing the case has placed the judicial proceedings under a strict secrecy order, restricting the release of further investigative details.
Emergency Psychological Support for Medical Personnel
The violent breach of the medical facility prompted an immediate response from the System of Medical Emergencies (SEM). Authorities activated a specialized psychological support team to assist hospital health professionals who witnessed the aftermath of the shooting or participated in the emergency resuscitation efforts.
The Active Investigation and Ongoing Manhunt
As the case remains under a court-mandated secrecy order, law enforcement agencies have not released suspect descriptions or confirmed whether any arrests have been made during the ongoing search operations. Detectives continue to analyze evidence gathered from the hospital room while reviewing security camera footage from the facility and the surrounding Tarragona area.
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