Colombian senator Miguel Uribe, in the running to join next year’s presidential race, is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot at an event in Bogota, allegedly by a 15-year old boy.

The 39-year-old, from the center-right Centro Democrático – or Democratic Center – the biggest opposition party in the South American nation, had expressed his intention to run in next year’s election.

He was shot twice on Saturday afternoon in the capital’s Fontibon district, according to the General Prosecutor’s Office. Police said the 15-year-old was carrying a Glock pistol when he was arrested.

Video footage showed the senator giving a speech to a crowd before multiple loud bangs rang out. He was seen lying on the ground as people around him fled. Police and civilians later rushed him to an ambulance.

Uribe’s party said he was shot in the back while he was participating in a campaign event.

In a broadcast statement Saturday evening, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and vowed to hunt down those responsible, suggesting other criminals may have been involved.

“No resource should be spared, not a single peso or a single moment of energy, to find the mastermind … Wherever they live, whether in Colombia or abroad,” said Petro.

The president pointed to a pattern of Colombian criminals taking advantage of minors and promised an independent investigation to determine the “intellectual authors” of the attack - speculating there may be a link to “crime bosses” responsible for several political assassinations in the country.

He expressed his hope that the opposition senator would survive and said politics should be “free of violence.”

Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, posted a message on his X account asking for prayers for his recovery.

“Miguel is fighting for his life right now. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him,” she wrote.

Santa Fe de Bogota Foundation, the hospital where he is being treated, said he was undergoing “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedures.”

“Uribe’s condition is stable, still in critical condition,” Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo told local TV network Caracol TV.