(RepublicanDaily.org) – We look up to our sporting heroes in such a profound way that it can seem like the normal trials and tribulations of life don’t apply to them. That’s not the case, of course; celebrated sportspeople suffer the same tragedies as everyone else. We recently saw a heartbreaking example of this involving an Olympic athlete from Puerto Rico.
On Saturday, April 9, Mabel Martinez (56) the mother of Puerto Rican rifle shooter Yarimar Mercado Martinez, died after sustaining a wound from a stray bullet in her Connecticut home. Police believe Martinez was not the intended target of the shooting; they think the incident was drug-related. Law enforcement is currently searching for Levi Brock, a person of interest with a violent past.
Democrat's blue States… Olympian's mother killed by stray bullet while sewing in Connecticut home https://t.co/PzFuWLSfwN via @nypmetro
— Paulie (@psforsure) April 12, 2022
Yarimar Mercado Martinez expressed her grief and outrage with a Facebook post in Spanish following the incident. The 27-year-old represented Puerto Rico in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, in the summer of 2021, and also appeared in the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She related that the family was sending her mother’s remains to Puerto Rico in order for funeral proceedings to take place in her native home. She also said she would be taking a break from competition while dealing with the tragic event, apologizing to her fans for the absence.
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