A WOMAN paying her respects at the funeral of a gunned down star football player has been shot dead by a car of armed men.
The horrific incident took place as the 39-year-old was leaving the funeral service of her friend – the star Ecuadorian player Mario Pineida, who was shot and killed alongside his partner last week.
Karen Grunauer Franco, a friend of the murdered couple, was being driven away from the parish when gunmen in another car opened fire.
Tragically, the content creator was found dead in the middle of the road, riddled with gunshot wounds.
The male driver escaped the scene and made his way to a nearby police station.
He was later hospitalised in a stable condition.
It is understood Karen was a new friend of Mario’s partner Guisella Fernández Ramírez.
Mario was a fullback who played for Barcelona de Guayaquil and the Ecuador national team.
The 33-year-old was killed alongside Guisella last Wednesday in an armed attack at a butcher shop in northern Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Lieutenant Colonel Luis Obando López said police were investigating possible links between the two shootings.
Police confirmed Karen did not have a criminal record.
Karen, who had 2,500 Facebook followers, leaves behind two young children.
No arrests have been made yet as the police probe continues.
It comes after a beauty influencer was shot dead in a horror attack whilst broadcasting on TikTok in front of terrified fans.
Social media star Valeria Márquez was livestreaming for her 105,000 online fans when a gunman reportedly entered her beauty salon in Mexico.
The depraved killer opened fire on the influencer whilst she was holding a pink stuffed toy.
Harrowing footage showed the moments before Márquez’s death.
She appeared to scan the entrance of the shop innocently, seemingly unaware of what would happen next.
Seconds after that, she suffers multiple gunshot wounds.
A woman then approaches the tragic streamer, and turns off the video.
The suspect was seen fleeing the scene on a motorbike with an accomplice, according to NeedToKnow.
Local media speculated that the two people arrived outside her salon pretending to be deliverymen.
The suspected shooter told her he had an “expensive gift” for her before allegedly opening fire.
The shocking footage was captured at the victim’s salon Blossom the Beauty Lounge, in the city of Zapopan on May 13.
Terrified viewers tuned in to the livestream at the time were left stunned, with many refusing to believe it was real at first.
