Teen shooter of Colombian candidate Miguel Uribe gets 7 years in detention

The 15-year-old who shot Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe during a June rally in Bogota has been sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday the teen “must remain in a specialised care centre for seven years, deprived of liberty.”

The right-wing opposition politician, 39, was struck three times — twice in the head — as he spoke to supporters in a working-class neighbourhood on June 7. He was rushed to intensive care, underwent multiple surgeries, but died two months later on August 11 from a cerebral haemorrhage.

Because the teenager had already accepted charges, Colombian law barred prosecutors from upgrading them after Uribe’s death. The youth was therefore convicted of attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons — not homicide.

Videos of the attack show Uribe addressing the crowd before shots rang out, followed by panic and screams as the bloodied candidate collapsed.

Five other adults have also been arrested and charged with aggravated homicide over the assassination. Investigators have yet to determine who ordered the hit or the motive behind it.

The killing has revived memories of Colombia’s most violent political chapters, when five presidential hopefuls were assassinated during the latter half of the 20th century.