Colombian footballer Alejandro shot dead

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Colombian football player Alejandro Penaranda Trujillo was shot dead and a colleague wounded in an early Friday attack in the city of Cali, police said. Penaranda, a forward for second division Cortulua, was murdered by a gunman who broke into a gathering of football players around 1 am (0600 GMT), Colonel Fabian Ospina with the Cali police told reporters.

The footballers had met at the home of Cristian Borja, a Colombian who plays for the first division Mexican team Deportivo Toluca. A gunman arrived at the Borja's home "and opened fire in the living room indiscriminately against everyone," Ospina said. Borja was unharmed, but another Cortulua player, 23 year-old Heisen Hower Izquierdo, was wounded and rushed to a local hospital.

The late Penaranda, 24, had also played for America de Cali and Atletico Nacional, two first division teams. A joint statement from Cortulua and America de Cali decried the "sad loss" for professional Colombian football. "There were still many games to be played and many goals to celebrate that certainly would have come, given the enthusiasm and professionalism that he (Penaranda) always showed," the statement said. Cali is Colombia's third most populous city and also one of the deadliest in the world.

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