A young man has been killed and his mother is in critical condition after a suspected incident of domestic violence in Sentmenat, a municipality near Barcelona. Reports indicate that the pair were attacked with a knife, and the alleged perpetrator, believed to be the victim’s stepfather, reportedly took his own life later at an industrial site. The situation unfolded early in the morning, around six thirty, after which emergency services received multiple alerts.

Local police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, are investigating the case, examining the relationships and family ties involved. They discovered the young man, who was twenty two years old, deceased in a public space, while his mother was found critically injured at their residence and has since been transported to Sabadell’s hospital.

Montserrat Rueda, the mayor of Sentmenat, described the incident as violent and noted that no prior complaints about domestic violence had been filed. In response to the tragedy, the city council has declared a five-day mourning period, with flags flying at half-mast. Rueda has emphasised the need for collective responsibility while the investigation is ongoing.

The government body for Gender Violence indicated that although this incident is linked to domestic violence, it will not be classified as “vicarious violence” under official statistics, which only consider minors as victims. There are calls for legislative reform to extend protections to include all family members who may be victimised in such situations. A crisis intervention service has been activated in response to the situation, highlighting the importance of support for affected individuals.