Alfredo Pacheco Murdered: El Salvador Soccer Star Shot Dead at Gas Station

Salvadoran soccer is in mourning after El Salvador's soccer star, Alfredo Pacheco was shot to death in his hometown of Santa Ana. The 33-year-old's murder reportedly took place when he was at a gas station with a goup of friends when an unknown assailant opened fire. Two of them were wounded and Pacheco was fatally shot.

He was gunned down while talking to some people but it’s unclear why he was targeted and who the gunman was.

Pacheco leaves behind his wife and their five children, who live in the United States.

“The attorney general’s office in Santa Ana processed the crime scene of the murder of Alfredo Pacheco at 3:30 a.m. in a petrol station,” the office said.

Pacheco was El Salvador's most capped player in soccer history, he was a defender for the Salvadorian clubs Club Deportivo FAS and A D Isidro Metapan. He also spent a season on loan at the New York Red Bulls.

His career plunged when he was banned by the Salvadoran Football Federation in 2013 after he was found guilty on involvement in match-fixing.

The Salvadorean Soccer Federation and the New York Red Bulls paid tribute to the fallen athlete, offering their thoughts and prayers for Pacheco's family and friends.

According to CNN, murders have become second nature in El Salvador. Sadly, Pacheco's murder is one of the 6,500 murders in this year alone. According to statistics, the country has an average of 17 murders a day.

Unfortunately, this is not the only incident in the soccer world that occured this month. Honduras International soccer player Arnold Peralta was also shot dead outside of a shopping mall and no suspects have been identified.