Non-Smoker Killed For Telling Thugs He Has No Cigs

Story ByAna LacasaSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyCEN

This 33-year-old teacher has died after allegedly being beaten up at a festival for telling a group of thugs he could not give them a cigarette because he did not smoke.

David Carragal has died at the University Central Hospital of Asturias in northern Spain, as a consequence of the injuries he suffered during a brutal beating at the local festival party in the La Florida neighbourhood, in the city of Oviedo, in the northern Spanish region of Asturias, after a week fighting for his life.

Three suspects, who names have not been revealed but two are aged 18 and one aged 19, have been arrested and one of them, identified by the initials J.C., 18, is being investigated for murder. All three suspects reportedly handed themselves into the authorities.

Pictures Credit: CEN

According to witnesses, a gang of six young men aged between 18 and 21 years old gathered around the victim and asked him for a cigarette. When he showed them he did not have one as he does not smoke, he was brutally beaten, with his head being kicked as he was lying on the ground, according to reports.

He died after a week in hospital and forensic scientists are working to determine the exact cause of death. Reports state he suffered a traumatic head injury in the attack.

One of the victim’s relatives, who has not been named, told local media “nobody deserves it, but David even less” adding that the thugs had attacked the teacher “because they crossed his path and for fun”.

The head of the court of Instruction number 4 of Oviedo has ordered one of the three arrested, identified in reports by the initials of J.C., 18, be sent to temporary prison, as he is being investigated for murder, but the charges could change during the investigation.

The other two suspects who were arrested have been released after being charged with failure to assist a person in danger.

Local media report the trio were questioned by the judge and J.C. admitted to having kicked the victim, but he could not say where in the body he kicked him.

The case has caused outrage in the local community and his cousin, Cristina, said “he was a wonderful person who knew how to respect and listen to the opinion of his parents”.

Local media report the victim had just taken an English exam and was planning to travel to Pennsylvania, in the United States, to work as a teacher for a year. 

The investigation is ongoing.

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