A 13-year-old budding footballer has tragically died after he was allegedly shot with an air rifle by his own cousin before falling from a roof.
Police later arrested the suspect during the boy’s wake, as grieving family and friends gathered to say goodbye.
The victim, José Pablo Roldán Palencia, died last Tuesday (21 Oct) after suffering a serious chest wound.
His cousin, José Javier Palencia Vega, 19, has been accused of firing the fatal shot and was led away in handcuffs at the wake after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
According to reports, José Pablo had been playing with two adult relatives on the roof of a house in San Miguel Dueñas, Guatemala, when the alleged shooting took place.
He reportedly fell from the rooftop after being struck and was rushed to Pedro Betancourt National Hospital in Antigua in critical condition – but sadly died shortly after arrival.
Doctors found that his fatal injuries were caused by a projectile consistent with an air gun or compressed gas weapon.
Police later recovered the weapon believed to have caused the boy’s death during a preliminary investigation.
Authorities are now working to determine whether the incident was a tragic accident or a deliberate act.
Both the victim and the accused are believed to have lived in the same house, and the air rifle belonged to another family member.
Heartbreaking photos from the wake showed José Pablo’s football boots and running medals placed beside his coffin – a tribute to the talented young athlete’s sporting dreams.
He was later buried wearing his beloved boots, as reported by Need To Know.
The Calles de Las Flores Children’s Race Organisation, which the teen competed with, shared a moving tribute, and said: “You reached the finish line like a champion, where God will crown you.”
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