Connecticut – The mother of a Puerto Rican Olympian died after becoming a victim of a stray bullet while she was sewing in her home over the past weekend, according to her daughter and police.
According to the police, Mabel Martinez was the mother of a Puerto Rican Olympic athlete.
The victim was a 56-year-old mother and was struck by a stray bullet on the head while an anonymous shooter fired gunshots at a passerby outside of her home in Waterbury on a late Saturday afternoon.
She succumbed to her injuries the next day in the hospital.
The passerby man also sustained injuries on his leg but has survived.
Fernando Spagnolo, the Police Chief of Waterbury stated that the investigation revealed that the shooting incident was triggered by some drug issue and it was not related to Martinez at all. She was not the main target.
Mabel Martinez was the mother of Olympian Yarimar Mercado Martinez who represented Puerto Rico as a rifle shooter in the Olympics that were held in Tokyo, Japan last year in summers.
The 27-year-old also took part in the Olympics of 2016 which took place in Rio de Janeiro.
The Olympian posted a very heartfelt message on the sad demise of her mother expressing her gut-wrenching grief at the sudden death of her mom that too in such a violent manner.
“Why you? Why is it like that? If you were just sitting in your house sewing, as you used to do…” she wrote on Facebook.
“Two days ago you called me with excitement, asking me to save the date and help you prepare to renew your wedding vows with daddy in Puerto Rico.”
“There are so many things I still needed to learn from you … I was so far away without being able to do anything, I couldn’t even say goodbye to you,” the daughter said.
The Olympian was not in town at the time of the incident. She flew back to Connecticut from Brazil as reported by Gilberto Hernandez, Puerto Rico Shooting Association’s President.
It is expected that the remains of the Olympian’s mother will be taken to Puerto Rico where her last rituals will be performed in front of her family and friends.
The rifle shooter apologized to the country that will not be competing at the moment because of the mental crisis she is undergoing and she needs time to deal with this loss.
The police stated that the suspect has not been identified though the search is still on as investigators continue to investigate to solve this case but so far no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting episode.
