A PREGNANT woman lost her baby and four others were seriously injured after a man opened fire on revellers enjoying a botellon in the Catalan city of Sabadell in the early hours of Monday morning.
According to police the shooting took place at just after 1am on Sunday night, on Calle de la Serra Galliners near a shopping centre and industrial estate in the Sant Pau de Riu-Sec area of Sabadell.
An armed man is said to have approached the group as they gathered in the street and were drinking and listening to music, before opening fire.
In total five people, three women and two men who are all thought to be foreign nationals, were rushed to hospital.
One of the women, who was seven months pregnant, lost her baby after receiving a gunshot wound to the abdomen, it was reported.
Police have confirmed that none of those injured are suffering from life threatening injuries, though some are seriously wounded.
According to reports, the suspected perpetrator and the victims knew each other, with the girlfriend of one of the wounded is said to have linked her ex-partner to the shooting.
Gun crime is incredibly rare in Spain and more so in the small industrial city of Sabadell, which is located just under 20km from Barcelona.
Violent crime remains a rarity in the town, and the shooting has shocked and alarmed the residents of the city of just over 200,000.
Local resident Shay Coyne, an English teacher and longtime Sabadell resident, told the Olive Press: “It’s a result of police not patrolling properly, and the recession the Covid measures have caused. People are desperate and end up doing things they may not have otherwise done. It’s been a long time since Sabadell has felt safe. I’ve moved to online classes so I’m not out alone late at night”.
The events surrounding the shooting are currently being investigated by Mossos d’Esquadra detectives who have opened an investigation into the case.
Mossos d’Esquadra officers have launched a manhunt to track down the suspect or suspects involved.
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