Spanish
A regrettable news saddens the world of vallenato in the country, as on May 17 it was learned that the vallenato singer Diego Armando Pineda, was murdered in the midst of a robbery in Bogotá. The artist was attacked by criminals who, around midnight, approached him.
The artist who had converted his life to Christianity was cornered by the individuals who sought to steal his belongings after a soccer game with his friends.
The news of the singer's death was revealed by the portal Primera Línea of the capital of Cesar, which expanded the information on how the events occurred and the way in which he was attacked, losing his life suddenly.
According to information provided by the authorities to the aforementioned media outlet, the victim was assaulted while traveling as a passenger in a friend's car in the locality of Barrios Unidos, where the soccer match was taking place. The singer was on his way to pick up his motorcycle when another vehicle intercepted him and shot him at point-blank range.
Likewise, it is unknown whether it was really an attempted robbery or if it was a settling of scores, as it was speculated that the attackers fled. However, the Prosecutor's Office reported that they crashed later in the town of Santa Fe against a garbage truck.
It is noteworthy that the fact that grieves the family of this young artist was that he was the brother of Nico Pineda, current backing vocalist for Silvestre Dangond. The Pineda brothers forged a career in the vallenato world, forming a group in 2009 called Diego & Nico in which Javier Matta, vallenato king of 2023, also participated.
Social media shows that the artist was part of the political party Mira, as he expressed his support for the campaign launch of one of his relatives for the House of Representatives for Cesar.
Alert for extortion cases in Bogotá
According to figures presented by Quena Ribadeneira, councilwoman of Bogotá, in the year 2025 so far, 464 cases of extortion have been registered, which is equivalent to one case every four hours. The councilwoman considers that the abandonment of the district entity is evident in the growing problem that affects citizens.
According to the information provided by the councilwoman, the most affected localities during the first quarter of the year are Suba, with 61 cases; Kennedy, with 51 cases; Santa Fe and Engativá, with 42 cases each; and Usaquén, with 40 cases.
These figures demonstrate a significant concentration of complaints in these areas, suggesting specific patterns of operation by criminal groups. Furthermore, it was highlighted that Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, especially in the afternoons and evenings, are the times when citizens are most exposed to this crime.
The councilwoman expressed her frustration at the lack of action by the district administration. According to her, the Bogotá Council has proposed on several occasions the creation of a comprehensive route for the care of extortion victims, but this project has not been prioritized.
Ribadeneira questioned whether the apparent decrease in reports could be due to a resignation of the citizenry in the face of a lack of effective responses. “Today we directly ask the Mayor's Office: Are extortion cases decreasing or are victims ceasing to report due to the lack of effective responses? We cannot continue to accept as ‘improvements’ what, in reality, may only be the silence of a resigned citizenry,” he stated.
