Unknown gunmen shot and killed two men and a pregnant woman Wednesday afternoon in a rundown neighborhood of Lisbon and then fled in a car.
The killing took place in the Pena de Francia district of the Portuguese capital. As expresso.pt reports, the murders were committed inside the “Granda Pente” barbershop.
According to the newspaper Correio da Manhã, the victims are a barber, a taxi driver, and his pregnant wife (both customers of the barber shop), while Diário de Notícias reports that the perpetrators – three men – were Portuguese and aged between 24 and 43.
“I can confirm that three people were shot and killed, while the perpetrators fled,” a police source told Reuters news agency, adding that the motive for the crime remains unknown.
Some reports say two of the victims were shot in the head, suggesting a mafia-style execution.
According to the newspaper SIC Notícias, the issue is a dispute between the shop owner and the alleged perpetrators. The three suspects entered the barber shop and asked the barber to serve them, but they did not like his answer and shot him, along with the two customers, the newspaper said.
Cold-blooded murders are rarely recorded in Portugal, which is considered one of the safest countries in the world. However, crime rates have risen in recent years.
Portugal is ranked 7th in the Global Peace Index list of the safest countries in the world.
The most recent report by Portuguese authorities showed that 14,022 violent crimes were recorded last year, an increase of 5.6% compared to 2022, with more than a third of them occurring in the greater Lisbon area.
