Eric López Martínez had been living in Barcelona, Spain for a couple of years. There he was gaining experience in the world of paragliding and was even considered a one of the jewels of this extreme sport by some of the world’s best exponents.
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During last Monday, June 24, during the San Juan festivities, the most important in Catalonia, Eric, his two brothers and other friends spent the early morning sharing talks in the Barceloneta sector, one of the tourist places of the so-called ‘ Barcelona’.
In the midst of bonfires, young people singing, lights, gunpowder and a festive atmosphere, around 4 in the morning an event occurred that still causes anxiety throughout the city due to the crudeness of what happened.
Remnants of blood at the scene after a 26-year-old Colombian man died early this Monday from stab wounds in Barcelona.
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According to Chachán, his younger brother, at that time they were traveling near the beaches of Barceloneta, when they witnessed the robbery committed by a group of young Arabs.
Given the rudeness of the action committed, Eric, Chachán and another friend decided to intervene to help the tourist who was being stripped of his personal items.
“He was a foreigner who was robbed. He went to defend the foreigner with me. A friend was sharing with us. “We took the cell phone that was stolen from the person and gave it to the owner,” the young man recalls about that moment in dialogue with EL TIEMPO.
Chachán points out that the situation did originate from preventing the theft of a person, but not his sister, as indicated in a first hypothesis.
After recovering the cell phone, the people who committed the theft ran from the sector and fled due to the noise generated by the situation.
Colombian athlete murdered in Spain.
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However, when the brothers and their friend were heading towards the metro station, along the Ciutat Velle promenade, they were caught up again by the group of thieves, who surprised them and hit them from behind.
“They beat my friend and me. At that moment they cut my brother’s neck. We didn’t realize because we were defending ourselves,” says Chachán.
Once again, the group of Arabs runs to escape the area of aggression. “There we realize that my brother is lying on the ground and bleeding,” he says.
In videos posted on social media, Eric’s family members can be seen trying to help him and medical personnel arriving in an ambulance; however, the wound they inflicted was fatal.
The family is mourning the brutal murder of Eric, 26, and is considering the possibility of repatriating his body to his native Valle del Cauca, where dozens of paragliders have already paid tribute to him with a multitudinous flight: “Skinny, forever in our hearts.”
Chachán says they have already received contributions from friends who are asking for donations through social media. “We are grateful to everyone for their support and empathy for my brother even though we don’t know him,” he says.
Eric’s alleged killer is an Algerian national who was captured while fleeing the scene of the crime. The Catalan police are gathering evidence to put this man on trial for the crime.
Among the people who have remembered Eric is the Spanish Horacio Llorens, an aerobic paraglider who has been champion in world competitions: “It goes in your memory Eric. Your bravery will not be forgotten.”
Laura Avendano
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