Ecuadorian authorities have arrested two suspects in connection with the killing of footballer Mario Pineida, a case that has shaken the country’s sports community and highlighted the country’s growing security crisis.

Pineida, a defender for Barcelona SC and former Ecuador national team player, was shot dead on Wednesday in the Samanes area of Guayaquil. The attack also killed his partner and injured his mother. Prosecutors said suspects Cristian P.G. and Jimnery P.B. have been placed in preventive detention after a judge determined there was sufficient evidence and a risk of flight.

Security footage reportedly shows the couple leaving a butcher shop before being ambushed by two armed men, one wearing a motorcycle helmet. Pineida, 33, earned caps with Ecuador and last appeared for the national team at the Copa América in 2021. His death adds to a troubling list of recent killings involving footballers in Guayaquil, a city increasingly affected by gang-related violence.