Bogotá, Colombia — Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, who had been hospitalized since being shot in the head during a campaign event in June, has died at the age of 39, his family confirmed on Monday.
Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, was attacked on June 7 in Bogotá while addressing supporters. He underwent multiple surgeries before succumbing to his injuries.
“I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you,” his wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, wrote on social media. “Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children.”
His death adds another chapter to a family marked by tragedy. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after being kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel, led by drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Uribe rose quickly in politics, becoming a recognized figure for the right-wing Democratic Center party and a sharp critic of leftist President Gustavo Petro’s administration. At 25, he was elected to Bogotá’s city council, where he opposed Petro, then the capital’s mayor, over waste management and social programs.
In the 2022 legislative elections, Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Center with the slogan “Colombia First,” winning a seat in the chamber.
His family has deep political roots. His maternal grandfather, Julio César Turbay, served as Colombia’s president from 1978 to 1982, while his paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarría, led the Liberal Party and backed Virgilio Barco’s successful 1986 presidential campaign.
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