Colombia Prison Director Fatally Shot Following Death Threats

Colombia prison director Elmer Fernandez, a 57-year-old retired police colonel, was killed by gunmen on a motorcycle who fired a single shot to his head as he was returning home in western Bogota after dropping off a prison employee.

Fernandez had received death threats after implementing stringent policies to clean up the prison, including unannounced searches of inmates and their cells.

Justice Minister Nestor Osuna condemned the killing and launched a major police operation to apprehend the assailants, Al Jazeera reports.

President Gustavo Petro also condemned the murder, vowing that such acts would not intimidate the government.

General William Salamanca, head of Colombia's national police, ordered a lockdown in Bogota to find the suspects.

La Modelo is notorious for housing some of Colombia's most dangerous criminals and has a history of violent incidents, including a deadly riot in 2020 and a fire during a riot in 2022 that killed 49 people.

Organized Crime and Ongoing Threats

Authorities claim organized gangs run drug smuggling and extortion rackets from inside Colombia's overcrowded prisons.

Jorge Restrepo, a political analyst, suggested that the murder of Elmer Fernandez, the director of Bogota's La Modelo prison, was likely orchestrated by these groups.

Colombia prison director had been leading efforts to separate gang members within the prison, according to Mail Online.

Since the start of the year, five guards have been killed, and six others have survived assassination attempts.

Over the past two years, at least 550 officials have received death threats.

Daniel Gutierrez, director of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC), admitted that resource limitations prevented providing Fernandez an armored vehicle, a protection no director currently has.

Fernandez had received explicit and alarming threats, including one from an inmate named Pedro Caro, who warned, "If you get involved with the patio search, I will kill your family."

Following these threats, Caro and nine other prisoners were transferred to different jails.

Justice Minister Nestor Osuna stated that investigators had several leads and assured that police investigations were "very advanced."

Elmer Fernandez, director of Bogota's La Modelo prison, filed a report with the National Protection Unit about death threats on Tuesday.

INPEC director Néstor Morales noted Fernandez requested protection but faced regulatory barriers preventing access to armored vehicles.

The National Protection Unit later stated that Fernandez did not directly request protection but had informed the Attorney General's Office about the threats.

Security Measures and Prison Transfers

Following Colombia prison director Elmer Fernandez's murder, La Modelo assistant director Oscar Tovar resigned abruptly.

Fernandez, a former colonel of the Bogota Metropolitan Police, joined INPEC five years ago and previously directed La Esperanza prison.

About 15 inmates were transferred from La Modelo after Fernandez's murder, which was triggered by his order to search cells, angering an inmate involved in illegal activities, Colombia One noted.

Police special forces guarded La Modelo prison, which houses approximately 3,000 inmates, after the incident.

Official data shows 506 threats against prison authorities in the past two years. Justice Minister Nestor Osuna confirmed Fernandez's death and conveyed condolences, asserting that the government would not be intimidated.

Oscar Robayo, president of the INPEC union, lamented Fernandez's death and highlighted the dangers faced by those working in Colombia's prisons.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Ross Key

WATCH: Colombian prison director shot dead, police at the scene - From Sharjah24 News