Mario Pineida: Ecuador defender, 33, dies after being shot outside Guayaquil shop | OneFootball

Ecuador defender Mario Pineida has died aged 33 after being shot outside a shop in Guayaquil.

According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, the incident happened on Wednesday in the north of the city. Two people on motorbikes opened fire, hitting Pineida, his mother and another woman.

A special police unit has been sent to investigate, and the area around a shop called ServiCarnicos was cordoned off.

Guayaquil has seen a sharp rise in gang violence and drug trafficking. Between January and September, the city recorded 1,900 murders, the highest figure in Ecuador. In September, three players from the second division were killed, and another local footballer was wounded last month.

Pineida won nine caps for Ecuador between 2014 and 2021. He began at Independiente del Valle, joined Barcelona SC in 2016, and had loan spells with Fluminense and El Nacional.

No arrests had been made at the time of publication.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk