Puerto Rico Olympian’s mother killed at home by stray bullet

Apr 11, 2022, 2:51 AM | Updated: 5:21 pm
FILE - Yarimar Mercado Martinez, of Puerto Rico, competes during the women's 50-meter Rifle 3 Posit...

FILE - Yarimar Mercado Martinez, of Puerto Rico, competes during the women's 50-meter Rifle 3 Positions qualification, at the Olympic Shooting Center, during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 11, 2016. Mercado Martinez's mother, Mabel Martinez, 56, was killed by a stray bullet in her Connecticut home over the weekend, authorities announced Monday, April 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

The mother of a Puerto Rican Olympian was killed by a stray bullet while sewing in her Connecticut home over the weekend, according to the athlete and police.

Police believe Mabel Martinez, 56, was an innocent bystander and the intended target was apparently a man walking outside her home in the town of Waterbury. He was wounded in the leg and survived. No arrests have been announced.

Mabel Martinez was the mother of Yarimar Mercado Martinez, a rifle shooter on the Puerto Rico Olympic team who competed in the summer Olympics last year and in 2016.

Mabel Martinez died Sunday after being shot in the head Saturday afternoon, police said.

Mercado Martinez, 27, expressed her anguish in social media posts.

“Why you? Why this way? You were just sitting in your little house sewing, as you always did,” she wrote in Spanish.

“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,” she said Sunday. “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.”

She wrote that the family intends to bring her mother’s body to Puerto Rico “so her friends and family can say goodbye.”

“I apologize to Puerto Rico because even if I wanted to, I really can’t compete, my place is with my family,” she wrote.

A message seeking comment was left Monday for Mercado Martinez.

The athlete flew out of Brazil late Sunday and has arrived in Connecticut, according to Gilberto Hernández, president of the Puerto Rico Shooting Association, the sport’s governing body in the U.S. territory.

Hernández said it’s not clear when the body would arrive for burial in Puerto Rico, adding that the shooting association is helping pay a portion of the funeral costs.

“We trust that she will overcome this,” he told The Associated 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 was definitely a random, tragic act of violence,” he told the AP. “She was in her house. She’s not the intended target.”

Spagnolo said relatives were extremely distraught, including Mabel Martinez’s husband, whom he described as inconsolable.

He said the investigation has been “very, very active” since Saturday.

___

AP journalist Dánica Coto contributed to this report from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

File - People shop at an Apple store in the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, New Jerse...
Associated Press

A key inflation gauge tracked by the Fed slowed in February

The Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge slowed sharply last month, an encouraging sign in the Fed's yearlong effort to cool price pressures through steadily higher interest rates.
2 days ago
FILE - The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output fr...
Associated Press

Musk, scientists call for halt to AI race sparked by ChatGPT

Are tech companies moving too fast in rolling out powerful artificial intelligence technology that could one day outsmart humans?
3 days ago
starbucks...
Associated Press

Starbucks leader grilled by Senate over anti-union actions

Longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz faced sharp questioning Wednesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
4 days ago
FILE - The overdose-reversal drug Narcan is displayed during training for employees of the Public H...
Associated Press

FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan; here’s what it means

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved selling naloxone without a prescription, the first over-the-counter opioid treatment.
4 days ago
FILE - A Seattle police officer walks past tents used by people experiencing homelessness, March 11...
Associated Press

Seattle, feds seek to end most oversight of city’s police

  SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and Seattle officials asked a judge Tuesday to end most federal oversight of the city’s police department, saying its sustained, decade-long reform efforts are a model for other cities whose law enforcement agencies face federal civil rights investigations. Seattle has overhauled virtually all aspects of its police […]
5 days ago
capital gains tax budgets...
Associated Press

Washington moves to end child sex abuse lawsuit time limits

People who were sexually abused as children in Washington state may soon be able to bring lawsuits against the state, schools or other institutions for failing to stop the abuse, no matter when it happened.
5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Compassion International...

Brock Huard and Friends Rally Around The Fight for First Campaign

Professional athletes are teaming up to prevent infant mortality and empower women at risk in communities facing severe poverty.
Emergency Preparedness...

Prepare for the next disaster at the Emergency Preparedness Conference

Being prepared before the next emergency arrives is key to preserving businesses and organizations of many kinds.
SHIBA volunteer...

Volunteer to help people understand their Medicare options!

If you’re retired or getting ready to retire and looking for new ways to stay active, becoming a SHIBA volunteer could be for you!
safety from crime...

As crime increases, our safety measures must too

It's easy to be accused of fearmongering regarding crime, but Seattle residents might have good reason to be concerned for their safety.
Comcast Ready for Business Fund...
Ilona Lohrey | President and CEO, GSBA

GSBA is closing the disparity gap with Ready for Business Fund

GSBA, Comcast, and other partners are working to address disparities in access to financial resources with the Ready for Business fund.
SHIBA WA...

Medicare open enrollment is here and SHIBA can help!

The SHIBA program – part of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner – is ready to help with your Medicare open enrollment decisions.
Puerto Rico Olympian’s mother killed at home by stray bullet