Soccer star Arnold Peralta was allegedly murdered by drive-by shooters in a shopping center car park while he was on vacation in his home town of La Ceiba, Honduras on Thursday, December 10. He was 26-years-old.
The former midfielder for Scotland’s Rangers was found dead in the shopping center after being gunned down by two men allegedly riding on a motorbike. He suffered 18 gunshot wounds. As of today, no suspects have been identified, no arrests have been made, and the motives of the attackers remain unknown. Investigators have recovered eleven 9mm casings from the murder scene at Uniplaza mall in the Honduran coastal city, and plan to analyze CCTV footage to find out more about the attack. Police have ruled out robbery as a motive since no belongings were taken from Peralta’s person, and there was no attempt to steal his Porsche SUV.
The soccer star’s father, Carlos Peralta, expressed his grief at a news conference confirming his son’s death.
“This is terrible. They killed my exemplary son. I can’t say more because of the pain I feel.”
CNN also quoted the Honduran government on the efforts to find Peralta’s killer.
“We won’t rest until those responsible for this act are identified and detained so that they can face justice,” the government said.
Peralta played for the Rangers Football Club for 18 months, helping them win the title for the 2013-14 Scottish League One before returning home to play for Club Deportivo Olimpia. He played in both the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. Peralta had been scheduled to play the national team’s match against Cuba next week. There is no word yet if the match will go ahead as planned.
Osman Madrid, vice president of the Honduran soccer federation Olimpia , stated, “This is a tragic death that the national sport mourns.”
Peralta was laid to rest earlier today after a mass at San Isidro Cathedral in La Ceiba. Mirror reported that the funeral was attended by hundreds of people, including friends, family and Peralta’s wife, Vanessa, who was out shopping with him when he was murdered, as previously noted by Inquisitr.
The murder of Peralta highlights the country’s recent years of turmoil and violence, especially ever since the 2009 Honduran coup d’etat. The slain soccer star denounced the violence plaguing the Central American nation last year on his Twitter account.
“Our country is facing difficult times with so many criminals killing so much, as though killing is fashionable!” he wrote, as reported by the LA Times . “These sorts of people don’t deserve to be alive.”
Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world, frequently spurred on by gang warfare, the LA Times further noted, giving shocking figures for the troubled nation.
“Among countries not officially at war, Honduras, population 8 million, is one of the most violent places on Earth. The homicide rate in its major cities is about 12 to 21 times the rate in Los Angeles.”
Peralta’s own cousin, Bayron Josue Peralta, was shot dead by suspected gangsters in his La Ceiba home in June. Sky News reported that the Rangers plan a minute-long silence before their game on Saturday to honor their former player. Their official account paid tributes to Peralta on Twitter. Former teammates and clubs also paid their respects on social media.
Rangers Football Club is deeply shocked and saddened to hear the tragic news about former player Arnold Peralta: https://t.co/kLXqwXv2cl
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 11, 2015
Ibrox falls silent in memory of former player Arnold Peralta who died this week. pic.twitter.com/lMwITLF3Tb
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 12, 2015
[Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images]