“But why him, if he never bothered anyone? Rafa, you didn’t deserve this, my God, it can’t be. You never did anything wrong, my dear.”

With a trembling voice, between sobs and cries of pain, a woman shouted these words into the air on the afternoon of Saturday, October 4, on an unpaved street in the Nelson Mandela neighborhood of Cartagena, Colombia.

She was sitting on the ground next to the lifeless body of a man who, just minutes earlier, had been shot and killed by two hitmen while he was still on his motorcycle. They didn’t let him get off; there was no time to escape death. He was shot at least three times before the attackers fled at full speed.

His relatives arrived immediately—the woman was one of them—and they confirmed that the man lying in the pool of blood was Rafael Barragán, or “Rafa,” as everyone affectionately called him in the neighborhood, since he was a well-known and beloved figure.

El Universal learned that the victim was a community leader and creator of a Facebook news portal called ADN Caribe, dedicated to showcasing talents, people, stories, and culture from Cartagena—especially from the Nelson Mandela neighborhood.

Rafa and the cultural and community portal that highlights local culture

It was known that the portal supported local entrepreneurs, conducted interviews focused on teaching about champeta culture and the history of Nelson Mandela and the El Nazareno neighborhood, and published general news about the city.

“At ADN Caribe, we are a group passionate about highlighting and celebrating the cultural, musical, and social richness of the Caribbean. We believe in the power of our roots and the potential of our region to impact the world,” the portal’s description reads.

Champeta artists from the city’s southwestern area expressed their grief on social media, saying that “Nito,” as he was also known, always supported them and believed in their talent to go far in music.

The police are currently investigating to determine the motives and capture those responsible. They are conducting interviews, reviewing security cameras, and using other tools to find the killers.