The Murder of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Sets Bogotá Ablaze

On April 9, 1948, the prominent Colombian Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was shot several times outside his downtown office in Bogotá. Gaitán, renowned for his magnetic oratory, enjoyed immense support among working-class Colombians and was seen by many as the likely winner of the 1950 presidential election. That midday, while walking to lunch with political allies and friends, a lone gunman confronted him on the street and fired repeatedly. Gaitán fell mortally wounded and died shortly afterward at the nearby Clínica Central.

A crowd immediately pursued the fleeing suspect, who sought protection from a police officer and was placed inside a neighboring drugstore. The enraged mob broke through the doors, dragged the prisoner out, and killed him in the street. His battered body was then dragged through several blocks of the city center. The man was identified as Juan Roa Sierra, though lingering uncertainties and conflicting witness statements generated persistent theories about additional conspirators or political plots that were never proven.