Colombian senator and would-be presidential candidate is shot and wounded at Bogota rally

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a possible candidate in the country’s presidential election next year, was shot and wounded at a campaign rally in Bogota on Saturday, authorities said.

His conservative Democratic Center party released a statement calling it “an unacceptable act of violence.”

The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighborhood when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Center, which was the party of former President Alvaro Uribe. The men are not related.

Images circulating on social media showed Uribe Turbay, 39, covered in blood being held by several people. A medical report from the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said the senator was admitted in critical condition and is undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure.”

“Miguel is fighting for his life,” his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote on the senator’s X account, urging Colombians to pray for him.

The Attorney General’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, said the senator received two gunshot wounds in the attack, which wounded two others. The statement from the office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm.

Colombia's government said it was offering a reward for the capture of all those responsible.

“Respect life, that’s the red line,” President Gustavo Petro said in a message posted on his X account. Shortly after making the post, Petro canceled a planned trip to France "due to the seriousness of the events,” according to a presidential statement.

Late Saturday night, after leading an extraordinary Security Council session, Colombia's first leftist president promised “complete transparency” in the investigation and to find the intellectual authors of the attack. He also promised an investigation into any failures by the senator's bodyguards.

Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the country's most violent periods. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of Petro's term. The senator announced his presidential bid in March.

Colombian police chief Gen. Carlos Triana said that at the time of the attack Uribe Turbay was accompanied by Councilman Andrés Barrios and 20 other people. A minor who allegedly participated in the attack was apprehended at the scene and was being treated for a leg injury, he said.

"I have ordered the Colombian military and police forces and intelligence agencies to deploy all their capabilities to urgently clarify the facts,” said Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the “United State condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe.” and he urged President Petro “to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.”

“This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,” Rubio said.

Reactions poured in from around Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying “there is no room or justification for violence in a democracy,” and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa saying “we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.” Both presidents offered solidarity to the senator's family.

In Colombia, former President Uribe said "they attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, father, son, brother, a great colleague.”

People hold candles during a vigil outside the Santa Fe hospital where Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

An ambulance leaves the Medicentro hospital carrying Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay to another hospital for treatment after he was shot during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jhon Wilson Vizcaino)

Police stand guard outside the Medicentro hospital where Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jhon Wilson Vizcaino)

Police stand guard outside the Medicentro hospital where Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jhon Wilson Vizcaino)

FILE - Miguel Uribe Turbay, center in blue tie, a Colombian senator and presidential candidate for the right-wing Centro Democrático party, celebrates after voting against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)