RÍO DE ORO, CESAR — In the early hours of Thursday, June 19, two police officers were fatally shot while manning a checkpoint outside the police station in Río de Oro, located in the southern part of the Cesar department.
According to a preliminary report from authorities, armed assailants opened fire on the officers, wounding both. The injured officers were immediately assisted by colleagues and transported to the Emiro Quintero Cañizares Regional Hospital in Ocaña, Norte de Santander, where they later succumbed to their injuries.
The victims were identified as Patrolmen **José Daniel Pedraza González** and **Herney Ospina Lasso**.
A video circulating on social media shows the moment the officers were struck and collapsed to the ground during the attack, drawing widespread attention and public concern.
Local authorities have confirmed that the police station came under rifle fire during the incident. In response, a security lockdown was initiated across the southern zone of Cesar and areas surrounding the Ocaña province.
Freddy Arengas Romero, Secretary of Government for Ocaña, stated: *"In response to what happened, the police and army cordoned off all entrances and exits to Ocaña, particularly along the route connecting to the Atlantic Coast."*
He also extended condolences to the families of the fallen officers and emphasized that all available intelligence and investigative resources would be mobilized to apprehend those responsible. *"Reckless acts like this only reinforce our determination to intensify the fight against organized crime. We must rid our country of these groups that inflict so much harm,"* he added.