A 22 YEAR-OLD man was shot in the early hours of Thursday morning in Lisbon’s busiest night-life tourist area, Bairro Alto.
It is the fourth murder to have been committed in Bairro Alto in the past 12 years. In 1995, on Portugal Day, a group of 17 skinheads beat to death a Portuguese citizen of Cape Verde origin in the streets.
Then, in 2003, an Italian was stabbed to death in Largo da Misericórdia after having been attacked and robbed. The man, a resident of Monaco, had just bought a property in Cascais.
In the past few months, the PJ had to break up a fight between three men which started in a bar in Rua São Pedro de Âlcantara, resulting in the death of a 43-year-old man who had been stabbed.
The latest murder happened around 2.30am when a shot was fired in Rua do Diário de Noticias.
Paramedics tried to save the life of the young man, who came from a middle class family, but without success.
“He was well known in the local bars around here and was always darting in and out of them,” said one local bar owner who said he didn’t want to be named because “it could cause me problems.”
A spokesman at the Polícia Judiciária said it was possible the case was linked to a dispute over drug dealing.
“It could have been a problem to do with marking drug territories, where they fight for and defend each and every street corner,” he said.
According to the police, this “could explain why there wasn’t much cooperation with the police investigators on the part of witnesses and friends and family close to the victim.”
“In these kind of situations no one wants to get involved with the police for fear of being labelled a grass and consequent reprisals.”
On the ground around the street involved various pieces of evidence were found including pieces of silver paper, needles and roll-up cigarette filters. “I’ve been offered crack cocaine at various times here,” said one street corner restaurant owner.
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