Yarimar Mercado Martinez: Olympian devastated after mom killed by stray bullet while sewing at home
Mabel Martinez, the mother of a Puerto Rican Olympian was shot in the head while sewing at her Connecticut home on April 9, according to authorities and her daughter. Yarimar Mercado Martinez, a Puerto Rican rifle shooter, expressed her grief in an Instagram post that contained images and a video of her mother. "Why you? Why this way? You were just sitting in your little house sewing, as you always did,” Yarimar said in Spanish.
Mabel, 56, was struck in the head by a shooter who opened fire on a man strolling outside her house in Waterbury, Connecticut. She died from her injuries the next day, Waterbury police said, adding that she was not the intended target. The man was wounded in the leg but survived.
The 27-year-old daughter then wrote about all the things her mother will miss out on — her daughter's wedding day, making clothes for her grandchildren, and a scheduled vow renewal with her husband in Puerto Rico.
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"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," Yarimar wrote while adding that she would give anything to trade places with her mother. Yarimar, who competed in the Summer Olympics last year and in 2016 remarked, “I apologize to Puerto Rico because even if I wanted to, I really can’t compete, my place is with my family.”
"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 on 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."
In a subsequent post on Monday, Yarimar posted a broken heart emoji with the message: "You taught me the motto 'everything happens for a reason' and I applied it in every difficult situation in my life. But, this time? This time I don't know how to apply it, mommy, can you help me please? I really need to understand this."
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."
Yarimar urged those who use weapons to learn how to shoot. "Please, if you are going to use weapons, shoot a paper card and learn about its use and handling."
Investigators think the shooting was drug-related and had nothing to do with Mabel, according to Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo. “This was definitely a random, tragic act of violence. She was in her house. She’s not the intended target,” he said.
Officers found 15 9 mm casings and seven 45-caliber cases at the scene. Police said they were trying to determine if one or two 9 mm guns were fired.
Yarimar traveled out of Brazil on April 10 and landed in Connecticut, according to Gilberto Hernández, head of the Puerto Rico Shooting Association, the sport's governing body in the US territory. He stated that the shooting group will assist in the payment of a portion of the burial expenses. “We trust that she will overcome this. She can count on us. ... The doors of the association are always open,” he said.