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At least three people were killed and a fourth is in a critical condition after a shooting on Sunday evening in Isla Cristina in the southern Spanish province of Huelva.
According to local media, the attack took place in the Rocío neighbourhood, where a man turned up on a motorbike at a family home and opened fire on its occupants before fleeing.
Among the dead are a pregnant woman, one of her children and the woman’s mother.
The three bodies were left lying in the middle of the street after the burst of gunfire. A fourth person was critically injured and is being treated in hospital.
Possible family vendetta
The case appears to have its origins in violence between two families dating back to September, when a person was killed in the Torrejón neighbourhood of Huelva.
The three victims from the weekend shooting are reportedly close relatives of the alleged perpetrator of that killing: his sister, his mother and his sister’s son. Since then, the two families are said to have been involved in several episodes of violence, including a previous shooting at the same area in Isla Cristina.
This chain of events means investigators are not ruling out the possibility that Sunday’s attack was an act of revenge linked to that first homicide, although the investigation into the case is ongoing.
Both the Civil Guard and Isla Cristina’s local police have already launched a large operation in the area, which remains under a heavy police presence while efforts continue to locate the suspected gunman, who is still at large.