Victim was struck with a blunt object and was unable to resist
A 26-year-old Portuguese man was run over and beaten to death this morning in Fuenmayor, Spain, allegedly by a 31-year-old man, who was detained, sources close to the investigation told EFE.
The suspect was taken to San Pedro University Hospital in Logroño after the incident for a medical evaluation. He was then taken to the Civil Guard post in Logroño, where he remains in custody, and has not yet given a statement.
Initial information indicates that the attacker traveled from his home in Viana (Navarra) to Fuenmayor, where he ran over the victim and struck him with a blunt object, not yet specified.
The incident occurred at around 00:43 (23:43 on Wednesday, in Lisbon), when a citizen reported an attack near the swimming pools in Fuenmayor, a city located around 14 kilometers from Logroño and around 23 kilometers from Viana, as detailed in separate statements from the Government Delegation in La Rioja and the Civil Guard.
When they arrived at the scene, the police found a man lying on the ground with serious injuries and, a few meters away, an injured woman and a child.
Police officers provided first aid to the victim at the scene who, due to the severity of his injuries, ended up dying.
The delegation reported that the attacked woman, who will be married to the attacker, was treated at the San Pedro Hospital, in Logroño, where she underwent several tests, which confirmed that her health condition was stable.
The victim was originally from Portugal and lived in Logroño, although he also spent some time in Fuenmayor.
The spokesperson for the Civil Guard in La Rioja, Miguel Ángel Sáez, explained to EFE that the Organic Unit of the Judiciary Police and the Criminalistics Laboratory of this institution took over the investigation, with the aim of reconstructing the sequence of events and clarifying the causes and circumstances of the attack.
He added that agents are collecting all evidence and witness statements to determine the motives for the crime.
The investigation, which is under secrecy, will determine whether the prisoner can be held responsible for crimes other than murder, he stressed.
The Civil Guard has indicated that it will not provide any further information at this time until the police investigation is completed and the prisoner is brought before a judge.
For his part, the mayor of Fuenmayor, Alberto Peso, explained to EFE that initial data indicates that the detainee went by car from Viana to this municipality in La Rioja, which has around 3,200 inhabitants, and that the attack took place there.
Residents were “surprised” by the incident, which occurred in a central area of the city, near municipal swimming pools, said the mayor, who did not know the victim, who had apparently recently arrived in Fuenmayor.
The Civil Guard has isolated the entire area while the investigation continues.
Agência Lusa contacted the Consulate of Portugal in Spain, which said it did not have any information about what had happened so far.
