'Shock' soccer match referee shot incident: "Armed intruders breached..." even suspect arrest failed, causing outrage

*This content was translated by AI.

A horrific incident occurred during a soccer match when armed intruders stormed the field and fatally shot the referee. It is also reported that local authorities failed to apprehend the suspect.

The UK outlet 'The Sun' reported on the 16th (Korea time) "that Javier Ortega (48), a referee overseeing an amateur league match in Ecuador, was shot and killed on the hanbok field of the stadium".

According to local reports, witnesses "stated that several unidentified armed intruders approached referee Ortega during the match and opened fire".

'The Sun' "reported that referee Ortega collapsed in front of numerous players and fans, and when gunshots rang out, terrified players and spectators desperately fled to avoid the bullets, turning the stadium into chaos".

It was a tragic incident. According to media reports, paramedics immediately arrived on the scene and attempted to save referee Ortega, but he was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene. Local Ecuadorian media "stated that authorities closed the area for forensic investigation and investigators are leaning toward the possibility that this was a targeted killing of referee Ortega".

A police spokesperson said they are currently securing witness statements and reviewing citizens' Daejeon-hwa videos to identify the perpetrators. The spokesperson strongly criticized the incident as "a cold-blooded crime committed in a space for the community and sports".

Following the incident, Ortega's neighbors lit candles to mourn him and called for a thorough investigation by authorities. An Ecuadorian soccer official "stated that Ortega was a dedicated referee" and "expressed anger, saying that losing one's life due to a soccer match is absolutely unacceptable". Several referee organizations also expressed anger over the tragedy and demanded safety measures, including enhanced security for amateur matches.

Even more shocking is that no suspects have been arrested to date. The club overseeing the match decided to suspend all games until the full details of the incident are revealed.

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*This content was translated by AI.