Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay dies weeks after rally shooting

Colombian conservative senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay died on Monday, more than two months after being shot during a campaign rally in western Bogotá.

His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed the 39-year-old's passing early on Monday.

Uribe Turbay was critically wounded on 7 June during a campaign rally in the country's capital, suffering gunshot wounds to the head and leg.

The attack occurred in a park in the Fontibon neighbourhood when an armed assailant shot him in the back, the Democratic Centre party said in a statement.

He underwent emergency surgery and remained hospitalised in intensive care until his death.

A teenage suspect was arrested at the scene and authorities went on to detain several others.

"I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you. Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children," his wife, María, said in a post on social media.

Uribe Turbay's shooting was the first direct act of violence against a politician in Colombia in more than 30 years and raised concerns about political violence in the country.

His death has sent shockwaves through the country and reignited fears that Colombia could again experience the wave of political violence that marred the 1990s, when three presidential candidates were assassinated.