Death of young Black man in Bogotá during police operation sparks political controversy
Donovan Balanta Paz died after being detained with a taser in Caracolí, Bogotá. Gustavo Bolívar and Gustavo Petro reacted to the incident, demanding an investigation.
Balanta Paz died following police operation in Caracolí; seven officers removed from duty
Donovan Balanta Paz, a pharmacist and father of two, died on Sunday, 20 September 2026 after being detained by police officers in the Caracolí sector, on the border between the Ciudad Bolívar locality in Bogotá and the municipality of Soacha. According to infobae.com, the case triggered a series of political reactions and opened a formal disciplinary investigation against the uniformed personnel present during the procedure.
The Metropolitan Police of Soacha confirmed that its officers used an electronic immobilisation device—known as a taser—during the intervention. The institution stated that the operation sought to control a disturbance of public order and clarified that the Legal Medicine service has not yet established the exact cause of death. So far, authorities have not determined a direct link between the use of the electrical device and Balanta's death.
The General Inspectorate of the National Police opened a disciplinary inquiry to review the procedure and removed seven uniformed officers who were present at the location from their duties. The internal process will advance in parallel with verifications being carried out by other competent authorities.
Relatives denounce excessive use of force
Balanta Paz's relatives, known as "Piri", offered a different version from that of the police. According to their account, the man was beaten and received multiple electrical discharges whilst restrained and handcuffed on the ground. The relatives also indicated that one of the officers struck his face when Balanta was already immobilised.
After the detention, the man was taken to the Cazucá police station. There he suffered a medical episode and was taken to a healthcare centre in Soacha, where he died. The family requested that authorities clarify whether there was disproportionate use of force during the procedure.
Several witnesses filmed the arrival of police and part of the intervention. Balanta's relatives announced that they would hand over those videos to investigators. The images allow fragments of the operation to be observed, although it will be up to authorities to reconstruct the complete sequence of events.
Petro qualifies the incident as murder; Bolívar links the case to change of Government
Former president Gustavo Petro spoke out via his X account and described the death as murder. "They murdered the young Black man Balanta", he wrote, and demanded an investigation by the General Prosecutor's Office. In the same message he questioned what he termed "violent arrogance" on the part of a Government which, he maintained, would end up "reaping violence".
Former senator and former director of the Department for Social Prosperity, Gustavo Bolívar, also reacted publicly. In a post he compared the conduct of the public force during the administrations of former presidents Iván Duque and Gustavo Petro. "Why if they are the same police officers? Now the right returns and the attitude of the Police returns to change", Bolívar wrote.
The former official contended that during the Duque administration there were assaults against civilians and that during Petro's term, police training was promoted based on human rights. Bolívar linked the case directly to the change of Government and questioned whether police conduct responds to the directives of commanding officers. "Do they act in accordance with humanity or with the hatred of their commander?", he added.
Disciplinary and criminal investigation underway
The disciplinary investigation by the General Inspectorate of the Police and the proceedings by the General Prosecutor's Office must establish the precise circumstances of the death of Donovan Balanta Paz and determine whether there were individual responsibilities in the procedure carried out in Caracolí.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá