LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA – A 19-year-old man fatally shot by Spanish National Police officers at Gran Canaria Airport on Saturday, 17 May, has been identified as Abdoulie Bah, a Gambian national who had lived in the Canary Islands since 2019. The shooting, which occurred outside the main terminal in view of passengers, is currently under judicial investigation.

Sequence of Events

According to statements from the Canary Islands High Court of Justice and multiple official sources, the incident began when Abdoulie Bah attempted to board a flight to Gambia without a valid ticket for that day, though he did have a valid ticket for May 22nd. He was reportedly denied boarding and later set off a security alarm at a checkpoint, prompting further intervention.

Video footage reviewed by authorities and circulating on social media shows Bah running through the terminal area, he then ran out past the car parks and toward a group of National Police officers while holding a knife. Officers reportedly ordered him to stop multiple times. Reports say he then advanced toward them, at which point five shots were fired. One bullet struck Bah in the neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the police union JUPOL, the officers’ actions were described as “proportional and congruent,” citing the danger posed to both the officers and civilians nearby. The Court of Instruction No. 3 in Telde is reviewing all footage and evidence to assess whether the use of force was justified under the circumstances.

Earlier Incidents

Bah had a brief police record stemming from an incident three days prior, on 14 May, when he was seen walking along the GC-23 motorway between Tafira and Las Palmas. Emergency services were called due to the risk of a traffic accident. When officers arrived, Bah reportedly resisted and physically engaged with them. He was arrested for resisting arrest and assaulting police, and released after appearing before a judge.

According to sources close to the investigation, Bah had also allegedly attempted to rob a taxi driver near the airport earlier on the day of the shooting, using the same knife later found in his possession.

How did things fall apart?

Abdoulie Bah’s death has prompted shock among those who knew him personally and professionally. Born in Gambia, he arrived in the Canary Islands in 2019 as an unaccompanied minor and was placed under the care of the regional government. He remained in the child protection system until his 18th birthday on 5 May 2024.

Those close to him described him as calm, respectful, and hardworking. He obtained a secondary education qualification (ESO) from the Instituto de Santa Brígida and completed vocational training in administrative work. He had experience working as a mechanic, a builder, and kitchen assistant. In the Canary Islands, he also trained in agricultural work through the COAG programme.

At the time of his death, he had recently been working as a translator and educator at a centre for unaccompanied migrant minors in Las Palmas, where he supported newly arrived youths with his knowledge of various languages including Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Bambara, Spanish, and English.

He was a regular football player and spent two seasons with the Lomo Blanco SJA football club. Representatives from the club described him to Spanish media as a “very calm, nice boy who always had a smile.” He participated in community tournaments organised by the Federation of Immigrants and Refugees ‘Países’.

Warning Signs

Several friends and former classmates have since come forward to describe a period of sudden behavioural change in the weeks prior to the incident. One friend, Abdolualha Camara, said Bah had started speaking to himself and expressed paranoid fears, including that people wanted to harm him. At one point, Camara and another flatmate contacted police when Bah refused to leave his room or respond, though officers did not intervene as he remained inside his own residence.

Another acquaintance, Sheriff Seedou, who had known Bah from Abuko Upper Basic School in Gambia, described him to British reporters as an academically gifted and kind individual. Seedou said they had reconnected last year and kept in contact. “He was exceptionally intelligent, calm, and kind. He helped me settle when I joined the school and remained a supportive friend.”

According to Camara, an NGO was in the process of helping Bah seek medical attention for what appeared to be a mental health crisis, but those plans had not materialised before his death.

A Sudden Decline

What led to the rapid breakdown of Bah’s mental state remains unclear. Those who knew him say that the behaviours seen in his final days were entirely out of character. His friends have described being unable to reconcile the image of a calm and capable young man with the reports of violent behaviour.

Abdoulie Bah had spent five years under structured state care. After turning 18 and leaving the system, he faced the challenge of living independently for the first time. While he initially appeared to adjust well — finding work, housing, and community — the support network around him may not have been sufficient as his psychological condition began to deteriorate.

The judicial investigation into the police response continues. No further statements have been made