On New Year’s Eve, Pastor José Otoniel Ortega was repeatedly shot by three armed attackers in the Santa Elena neighborhood in Magdalena Department, Colombia. He was taken to a nearby medical clinic, where he died. The 54-year-old pastor was celebrating the New Year with his wife and children when he was shot. The Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches (CEDECOL) posted a statement on Facebook expressing regret for the incident. “This event brings sorrow not only to his family and congregation, but to the entire Christian church in Colombia,” the statement said.