Police: Olympian’s mother unintended victim of drug dispute

By DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press

Police say the mother of a Puerto Rican Olympian killed by a stray bullet in her Connecticut home was an unintended victim of a drug dispute that erupted into the firing of more than 20 gunshots. Mabel Martinez was shot in the head inside her Waterbury home on Saturday afternoon. Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said at a news conference on Tuesday that people in two cars got into a shootout outside Martinez’s home. No arrests have been announced. Police found the two cars and one of the owners, and are searching for other suspects. Martinez was the mother of Puerto Rican Olympic rifle shooter Yarimar Mercado Martinez.