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Paraguayan international Salvador Cabanas remains in
critical condition following an incident in which the 29-year-old
was shot in the head in Mexico City on Monday around 5.30pm local
time.
There has been much confusion and many conflicting reports since
the incident. What we do know is that Cabanas received a gunshot
wound to the head during an exchange with a man in the bathroom of
a popular drinking establishment in Mexico City called ‘Big
Bar’.
Cabanas had been drinking in the popular nightspot with his
brother-in-law and wife. The incident occurred as they were leaving
the establishment and Cabanas’ wife found him bleeding on the
bathroom following the attack.
Mexico City Attorney General, Miguel Angel Mancera, has alleged the
culprit is a man called Joseph J. Balderas Garza aka ‘JJ’ or ‘El
Modelo’ (The Model), described as a ‘businessman’ who frequented
the bar.
CCTV footage shows Garza walking into the bathroom with his
bodyguard moments before Cabanas was shot. The same footage also
showed staff at the bar allegedly assisting the assailants escape,
with Mancera exclaiming, “They did nothing to stop them.”
“Joseph J. Balderas Garza is a person who appeared to be a
businessman, he was a frequent visitor [to the bar],” he
continued.
Mancera went on to suggest that the incident may have stemmed from
an argument over a Cuban woman that had accompanied Garza to the
bar. The woman in question has already spoken with the
police.
“She tells us that she established a dialogue, a closeness, not
with Salvador Cabanas, but his brother [in-law],” he said.
Cabanas was taken straight to hospital following the incident and
was conscious when he went into emergency surgery, telling his
agent Jose Maria Gonzalez to “tell my parents I am fine.”
Cabanas underwent a seven hour surgery at Los Angeles Pedregal at
around 6pm, however doctors were unable to retrieve the bullet that
was lodged in his skull.
"We operated on his cranium and stopped the bleeding and the
clotting and the brain is in a stable condition,” said surgeon Dr.
Francisco Martinez at a press conference.
Dr. Alfonso Diaz, head of medical services at Cabanas’ club
America, told the press that the striker’s future was in god's
hands.
“You have faith, nothing else in a delicate situation, you have to
wait and as days go by expectations are higher," he said.
Apparent X-rays of Cabanas with the bullet lodged in his head have
been published by many media outlets over the last 24-hours,
however, the photo has been confirmed to be of a child who took an
arrow between the eyes in 2008 in China, and not of the Paraguay
international.
There has been a barrage of public outcry from all over the globe
since the incident, with two prominent figures in Mexico offering
their condemnation of the attack.
Mexico's president Felipe Calderon has publicly condemned the
shooting, insisting of his government’s “willingness to contribute
to investigating the case” and Jorge Vergara, owner of Chivas, Club
America’s fierce rivals, offered his side’s support with a banner
on the the team's website saying “Chava are with you, come back
soon."
Cabanas’ parents landed in Mexico City today to be with their son
during his recovery and spoke briefly to reporters.
“For us, it doesn’t matter whether he will play again or not. The
most important thing is to survive. He is strong and I’m sure he
can,” said his father.
There has been some good news today, with reports that Cabanas has
responded to stimulus and is currently showing regular brain
activity. His condition has not worsened in the 24-hours following
the shooting.
“We have to wait a little longer, he is still sedated. His brain
activity is still within the usual categories,” confirmed surgeon
Dr. Martinez.
Cabanas remains in “critical but stable” condition tonight as
doctors continue to closely monitor his brain activity and hope
that further complications do not arise from the bullet that
remains in his skull.