COLOMBIAN FOOTBALLER ALEJANDRO Penaranda has died in a ‘violent act’ which took place in the city of Cali last night.
The 24-year-old, who was on loan to Deportivo Tulua from America de Cali, was shot dead while a team-mate was injured in an attack local police have called “a crime of passion.”
Deportivo Tulua, based 90km from Cali, confirmed the death of Penaranda in a statement today:
“Club Deportivo Tulua and America de Cali express their sincere condolences for the tragic death of the player Alejandro Penaranda, in a violent act that took place on Friday (AM) in a house in Cali east.
“Undoubtedly, the death of this 24-year-old, who was part of our institutions, is a terrible loss for professional football because there are many games left to play and many goals that would surely have come through the dedication and professionalism that he always showed.
“We send a message of support to his family and friends and pray to God to give them strength to overcome the absence of this great person who always fight to achieve his dreams and who left an indelible mark on their hearts.
“We raise a prayer to God for the quick recovery of Heissen Izquierdo, who was also affected in this terrible event.”
Local reports say the two footballers were among a group who were shot at after a gunman leapt over a wall and opened fire.
“According to our preliminary investigations,” says Hugo Casos, Metropolitan Police Commander in Cali, ”the attack was aimed at Alejandro and Heissen, although the first hypothesis that we have is that a woman is involved who should have been at the party, but wasn’t.
“We believe it is a crime of passion.”
