Seven police officers suspended following death of Donovan Balanta in Ciudad Bolívar, Bogotá
Bogotá's Metropolitan Police suspended seven uniformed officers and opened a disciplinary investigation into the death of Donovan Balanta Paz in Caracolí.
Seven police officers removed from duty following death of Donovan Balanta Paz in Caracolí
According to infobae.com, Bogotá's Metropolitan Police announced on Wednesday 23 September 2026 the temporary suspension of seven uniformed officers and the opening of a disciplinary investigation into the death of Donovan Balanta Paz, which occurred in the Caracolí sector, on the boundary between Ciudad Bolívar—in southern Bogotá—and the municipality of Soacha, in Cundinamarca.
The measure was adopted under the parameters of Law 1952 of 2019, which regulates the General Disciplinary Code, according to a statement issued by the institution. The Police did not specify the rank, identity or specific functions of the seven officers removed from their posts.
The events of Sunday 20 September
The case originated on Sunday 20 September, when uniformed officers responded to the area following a report of a brawl. Balanta Paz died after the police intervention. The procedure was partially recorded by residents of the sector using their mobile phones; the images went viral on social networks and prompted a statement from former president Gustavo Petro.
The investigation seeks to establish whether the officers acted in accordance with current protocols and whether there is a direct relationship between the intervention and the death of the 32-year-old man. The National Police stated in its communiqué that its actions must respect fundamental rights and comply with the Constitution, the law and international human rights standards.
The family's account
The relatives of Balanta Paz maintain that the man was returning home after visiting his partner when an encounter occurred with several people who were in the sector. According to this account, the police officers allegedly mistook him for those involved in the brawl that prompted their presence.
"He threw a bottle, so then more than about fifteen police officers fell on top of him. Then, when he saw the police were going to attack him, he ran off," said Marleny Paz, the young man's mother, to the outlet Ojo de la noche.
Those close to him pointed out that following this alleged confusion, a chase ensued, and that Balanta was caught and restrained by several officers. The family also asserts that the man received blows during the procedure and that an electrical discharge device—known as a taser—was applied to him.
"The young man couldn't take any more. He was handcuffed and they didn't care. And yet, they were hitting him with the taser, hitting and hitting. In fact, when they took him to the hospital there in Soacha, the boy had already been dead for half an hour," stated another resident of the sector to Noticias Caracol.
Ana Tovar, the victim's sister, also questioned the subsequent conduct of the uniformed officers: "The police simply took him and left him lying there. They gave no information about anything and left and went away. They simply left them—the paramedics at the hospital in Soacha—with the problem."
Balanta's mother described in detail what, according to her, occurred during the procedure: "They beat him there, kicked him, beat him and handcuffed him. And after having him there handcuffed on the ground, they put that machine here on his heart, on his chest. And then that was what exploded my son's heart."
In conclusion, Marleny Paz demanded justice: "Do justice to those police officers and let it not be that they put them in prison today and tomorrow they already let them out or send them somewhere else."
Investigation ongoing
These statements form part of the elements that will be examined during the investigation and have not been officially corroborated. The authorities will have to determine whether the family's allegations match the available audiovisual records, the reports of the uniformed officers and the other evidence that is incorporated into the case file.
The central claim from those close to him points to clarifying the complete sequence of events, from the arrival of the police in the sector to the death of Balanta, who was transported by the group of uniformed officers to the Cardiovascular Hospital of Soacha.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá