A teenage footballer has died after being shot and left outside a health centre.
Tomás Bustamante Carriel was dropped off at the centre by four men who immediately fled on Tuesday (4 Mar) morning.
Staff found he had suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest.
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He was rushed from the scene in Coihueco, Chile, to a hospital in nearby Chillán, where he died despite doctors’ efforts.
Investigators later discovered evidence of bullet impacts in a car and at a house, as reported by Need To Know.
Bustamante, 19, came through the youth ranks at Ñublense and also spent time in Huachipato’s academy.
In the 2025 season, he was on loan at Brujas de Salamanca, who play in the Segunda División Profesional, the third tier of Chilean football.
An attacking midfielder, he scored the second goal in Brujas’s home match against San Antonio Unido in April 2025, securing the victory – a highlight of his short career.
His club paid tribute, saying: “We are very saddened by your passing, Tomy, but we want to remember you with joy – the same joy you radiated at our club.”
A close friend, Valentina, also posted online: “You showed me that friendship between a man and a woman really does exist.
“You’d defend me to the bitter end, no matter what, and you were always coming up with some mad idea. I’m going to miss you so much.”
Local media reported on Thursday (5 Mar) that police had arrested a 19-year-old on suspicion of murder.
His identity is being withheld, and no motive has been reported.
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