Man kills parents and shoots four other people, including two young children, in Almeria province

A 25-year-old man from Almeria province shot at several members of his own family, killing his parents, on Monday 18 May. He also injured four other people, including a baby and a toddler. One of the children is his own son.

The incident occurred near the village of Balanegra, shortly after 11pm. The emergency services received numerous calls reporting gunshots and mobilised both the National Police and the Guardia Civil. When paramedics arrived, they found the aftermath of a massacre: six people had been shot, two of them fatally.

The ambulances initially transferred the two children to the Poniente hospital to stabilise them and then to Hospital Materno in Almeria. One of them is in the paediatric ICU. The two injured adults are also in hospital. One of them is in critical condition in the ICU of a hospital in Almeria.

The detainee, who may have acted during a psychotic episode, is awaiting evaluation by mental health professionals.