The blast at a Villafría apartment block on Tuesday, 10 November, killed sub-inspector Juan José Rodríguez Rodríguez, a native of León and a member of the Policía Nacional’s canine unit, and seriously injured a Tedax officer. Rodríguez died at the scene alongside Deny, his three-year-old German shepherd. The Tedax specialist was taken to the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA) for surgery. Agencia EFE reported on Wednesday that he had lost sight in his left eye but was out of danger after treatment. Rodríguez was close to retirement.
By Wednesday, nearly 100 officers were searching for Manuel F. A., known as “El Ruso” and described by police as the main suspect. Police and the Guardia Civil have kept up checks on roads and at bus and train stations in Oviedo and Gijón, while teams search wooded areas. The operation has spread to nearby towns. Police sources say the value of road checks diminishes as time passes.
The search followed an incident shortly after 7am on Tuesday, when Manuel F. A. allegedly struck a neighbour under 17 five times after an argument in a building on Calle Rafael Urrusti. Investigators have yet to establish whether the impacts came from bullets fired by a gun or another source. The girl was injured, taken to HUCA and reported to be recovering. An earlier report covered the shooting and explosion in Villafría.
Police found a backpack containing what appeared to be an explosive device on the building’s landing. Officers called in the canine unit and Tedax. Specialists moved the backpack outside to reduce the danger to residents, but it exploded as they handled it. Rodríguez Rodríguez was killed in the blast. The Tedax officer suffered serious injuries to his leg and eye, and the explosion also killed Deny.
Search teams include officers from the Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO), the Grupos Operativos Especiales de Seguridad (GOES), the Unidades de Intervención Policial (UIP) and public security units. Provincial information officers, homicide investigators and judicial police are also involved. Drones are helping teams inspect the area.
Police are concerned that the suspect may be armed. Some sources say he has a short-barrelled weapon and a long-barrelled one, and have not ruled out the possibility that he is carrying further explosives. Officers have also received calls from people who believe they recognised him after his photograph appeared in the media; some leads have proved false. Images show a thin, bald man with no beard, an athletic build and medium height.
His partner, known by the nickname ‘Rusa’, was arrested on Tuesday morning. Police sources say she gave investigators a possible location for him, but officers found no sign of him there. Judicial sources in Oviedo said she remained in custody on Wednesday and had not appeared before a judge.
Oviedo City Council declared two days of mourning, while political parties in Asturias cancelled their pre-campaign activities in the region. The council also scheduled a minute of silence for Rodríguez at noon on Thursday, 12 November, in Plaza de la Constitución. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed deep shock at the officer’s death in a post on X. On Wednesday, police union Jupol called on the Interior Ministry and the Directorate-General of the Police to declare official mourning and suspend institutional events.
