Gunshots, deaths and looting witnessed during Chile's Copa America celebrations
The celebrations of Chile’s first ever Copa America triumph took an ugly turn as three people died, gunshots were exchanged and there was widespread looting of supermarkets and shops during the celebrations in the Chilean capital according to a report in Marca.
Chile had defeated Argentina 4-1 on penalties in the final at the Estadio Nacional which had sparked widespread celebrations in Chile who were also the hosts of the tournament.
It is said that amidst all the wild celebrations of the cup triumph, a group of fans were run over by a vehicle which resulted in two deaths and several other injuries according to the radio station Bío-Bío Radio as Marca reported. The culprit is said to have fled the crime scene after the incident had occurred.
Gunshots fired by group of fans
Meanwhile, in Quilicura, there were gunshots exchanged which led to the murder of a man named Luis Alfredo Villegas Vásquez. In Quilicura, which is the northern part of Santiago, there were gunshots exchanged between people who are believed to be groups of Chilean supporters in the wee hours of Sunday when the celebrations were in full swing.
Some supporters were reportedly firing gunshots to celebrate Chile’s triumph and some altercation broke out which led to shots being fired. A man named Luis Alfredo Villegas Vasquez is reported to have been murdered when he was trying to pacify the group. But he lost his life after getting shot while trying to calm the group.
Meanwhile, those who died after being run over by the driver are identified as Pablo Mora Bobadilla, 90 and Marco Antonio Calfeque, 48. Three more revellers were reported to have been injured in the incident and one of them could die from the injuries sustained.
Massive celebrations
Meanwhile, the Dailymail reported that thousands of supporters had thronged to the Plaza Italia which is a major landmark of Santiago, Chile, in order to celebrate the country’s first major triumph in international football.
The Mail further reported that the winning squad went on an open-top bus parade and had a reception with the president. Meanwhile, south Santiago saw around 100 people looting supermarkets as claimed by eye-witnesses mainly in Valparaiso and Antofagasta cities.
Few supporters even threw objects at a police van in what were some of the troubling incidents that emerged from the celebrations of Chile’s Copa triumph as reported by the Dailymail.