Ex-footballer killed at level clean vary as ‘hitman storms into nightclub’
A former football has been killed during a nightclub attack after an armed attacker stormed into the club and opened fire
Wilfredo Velarde Puma has died(Image: Newsflash/NX)
A former footballer has been killed after a hitman stormed into a nightclub and opened fire.
Wilfredo Velarde Puma died following the attack at the Egipto nightclub in Juliaca, a city in the Puno region of southern Peru near Lake Titicaca, in the early hours of 24th April.
Security footage shows the armed attacker entering from the right of the screen as men and women stand drinking near the bar. He raises a gun before walking towards the customers, forcing several terrified revellers to flee through a side door.
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The gunman then moves back towards a small group of men and points the weapon at Wilfredo, who is seen beside the bar. Footage shows the attacker threatening him at close range before turning the gun on another man nearby.
Wilfredo is later seen lying on the floor while another man bends over a chair as the attacker leaves the club. Local reports said Wilfredo, 50, was shot at point-blank range in front of dozens of people at about 2am.
He was rushed to Carlos Monge Medrano Hospital but arrived with no vital signs. Wilfredo was remembered locally for playing for clubs including Diablos Rojos, American Star and Franciscano San Roman.
After leaving football, he worked as a taxi driver in Juliaca to support his family. Relatives, friends and neighbours have mourned his death and called for justice.
San Roman municipal officials said the nightclub had been operating without a licence. Nilo Oswaldo Merino Berastegui, the municipality’s deputy head of inspection and control, said the venue had already been closed before but reopened irregularly.
Authorities said the club will now be permanently shut and drinks, tables and other items found inside will be seized. Police and prosecutors are investigating the killing and trying to identify the gunman.
The motive for the attack has not yet been confirmed.
