Olympian’s mother was killed by a stray bullet while sewing at home in Connecticut

The mother of a Puerto Rican Olympic athlete died over the weekend after she was shot in the head while sewing at her Connecticut home, according to police and her daughter.

Mabel Martinez, 56, was not the target of Saturday’s shooting, according to Waterbury police. A man walking outside her home, who was shot in the leg and survived, is a possible sign, police said. No arrests have been announced.

Martinez died in hospital on Sunday.

In one Instagram post Including photos and videos of her mother, with a smile on her face, Puerto Rican rifleman Yarimar Mercado Martinez expressed grief over her mother’s death.

“Why you? Why this? You are sitting in your little cottage sewing, as always,” she wrote in Spanish.

Mercado Martinez, 27, laments all the moments her mother will miss – her daughter’s wedding day, making clothes for her grandson, a plan to renew her vows with her husband in Puerto Rico.

“There’s so much I still need to learn from you… I’m so far away that I can’t do anything, can’t even say goodbye,” wrote Mercado Martinez. She added that she would give anything to trade places with her mother.

“I apologize to Puerto Rico because even if I wanted to, I really couldn’t compete, my place is with my family,” said Mercado Martinez, who competed at the Summer Olympics last year and last year. 2016 added.

According to Gilberto Hernández, president of the Puerto Rican Shooting Association, the sport’s governing body in the United States, the athlete flew out of Brazil late Sunday and arrived in Connecticut.

He said the shooting association would help pay for part of the funeral costs.

“We are confident she will get through this,” he said Related press. “She can count on us. … The doors of the association are always open.”

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said investigators believe the shooting was drug-related and had nothing to do with Mabel Martinez.

“This is definitely a random and tragic act of violence,” he told the AP. “She was in her house. She is not the intended target. ”

Spagnolo said loved ones were devastated, including Mabel Martinez’s husband, whom he described as unappealing.

Mercado Martinez, in his Instagram post, urged gun owners to learn how to shoot. “Please, if you’re going to use a weapon, shoot a paper card and learn about its use and handling,” she wrote.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here