Reasons behind El Puche shooting emerge

EVEN a peaceful city like Almeria has undercurrents that seldom impinge on the lives of normal citizens.
But the ripples they cause occasionally spread outwards with incidents like the El Puche shooting in which a nine-year-old girl was injured.
The child was caught in crossfire between two rival families and wounded in the abdomen as she stood near the window of her family’s first floor home. She has now recovered after an emergency operation.
Although three men have been remanded in connection with the shooting, the police enquiry continues.
According to sources quoted by the Spanish newspaper IDEAL a forthcoming court case due to start in September is at the bottom of the shooting.
Almost 10 years ago there was friction between both families as each sought to control drugs and arms trafficking in the area. The turf war intensified and a man was killed in circumstances that the courts are still trying to clarify.
According to IDEAL’s sources, the street shootout was an oblique warning that those called to testify in September should keep quiet in the witness box.
Meanwhile, police are keeping a close watch on the El Puche district to defuse any more violence or encoded threats.