A routine police response to a neighbourhood shooting has turned deadly in northern Spain, after an explosive device hidden inside a backpack detonated during an operation in the city of Oviedo, killing one officer and leaving another seriously injured.
The blast occurred on Tuesday when officers from Spain’s National Police canine unit and bomb disposal team were called to examine a suspicious backpack discovered at the scene of a violent dispute between two families.
According to police accounts, officers had initially responded to reports of gunfire and found a young woman who had been shot. She was taken to hospital, where her injuries were reported not to be life-threatening.
As officers attempted to move the bag away from the residential building to protect nearby residents, it exploded, killing Juan José, a sub-inspector attached to the Special Canine Unit. His police dog, a three-year-old German Shepherd named Deny, also died in the blast. A bomb disposal specialist was seriously injured and taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
The incident has triggered a major security operation across Oviedo, with police searching for the suspected gunman, who is believed to have planted the explosive device before fleeing.
Authorities say the suspect has been identified and may be armed, but his whereabouts remain unknown as of Wednesday morning.
Police are treating a neighbourhood dispute as the main line of investigation, with no indication so far that the explosion was terrorism-related.
The 17-year-old woman wounded in the initial shooting remains under medical care, while tributes have continued to pour in for the fallen officer and his canine partner.
The tragedy has also renewed attention on the dangers faced by specialist police teams responding to suspicious devices, particularly in residential areas where officers must balance public safety with the risks of handling potentially explosive materials.
