A promising singer and mother of two was fatally shot inside her tour bus before being thrown into a ditch after a performance in Peru.
Alezka Thalia Manrique, 27, and members of the Hermanos Guerreros band were returning on the bus after performing at an event when six gunmen opened fire on the bus in Bagua Grande on Sunday around 5 a.m.
Ingrid Vallejo, one of Manrique’s cumbia bandmates, told authorities that the attackers forced the driver to get off the bus and then beat them.
Manrique, who was acting under the name Thalía Castillo, ran to the back of the bus to hide in the bathroom when she was shot in the leg and back.
Alezka Thalia Manrique, 27, and members of her band were returning on a bus after performing at an event when six gunmen opened fire on the bus.
Alezka Thalia Manrique, who performed under the name Thalia Castillo, had just joined the band two months ago and was expected to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
“My partner wanted to enter the bus bathroom out of instinct to protect herself and the moment she was there the shot was fired,” Vallejo said.
The gunmen then pulled Manrique off the bus and dumped his body in a ditch while ordering the gang members to stay on the ground.
The suspects took the instruments and the money they paid the band for the show.
Manrique died while being rushed to the hospital
His brother, Jair Enrique, told RPP radio this Monday that the Peruvian National Police identified the suspects and were waiting for the approval of an arrest warrant to capture them.
Alezka Thalia Manrique (right) leaves two children
A coffin containing the body of the late Peruvian singer is taken to a local funeral home.
Manrique, who leaves behind two children, joined the band after it formed two months ago and was expected to graduate in business administration later this month.
‘Talía was a person full of joy, always with a smile,’ Vallejo told Radio Exitosa. “Her talent and dedication to music made her special.”
“Your face, your smile and your voice will always remain in our memories,” the band said in a statement.
