Influencer killed in drive-by after leaving funeral of Ecuador defender Mario Pineida | OneFootball

Influencer Karen Grunauer Franco, 39, was shot dead in a drive-by moments after leaving the funeral of Ecuador defender Mario Pineida in Guayaquil.

According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, armed men opened fire from another vehicle on Saturday, 20 December, hitting the car she was in and killing her instantly.

She had just attended the service for Pineida, 33, who was fatally shot in the city last Wednesday, 17 December. Franco knew him through a friend understood to have been dating the footballer.

She was in the passenger seat while a man drove along 18 de Agosto Avenue when the pair were intercepted and attacked.

Officers arrived soon after and found Franco on the road with gunshot wounds and no vital signs. Her companion drove to a nearby police station and was later hospitalised in a stable condition.

Franco, who had 2,500 Facebook followers, was known for fashion, makeup and lifestyle content. She leaves two young children and was buried in Guayaquil the day after the attack.

Police are investigating possible links between her killing and Pineida’s shooting, and no arrests have been made as inquiries continue. Pineida was attacked outside a shop in the north of the city by two people on motorbikes, with his mother and another woman also struck.

The defender won nine caps for Ecuador between 2014 and 2021, began at Independiente del Valle and joined Barcelona SC in 2016, with loans at Fluminense and El Nacional.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk