Story highlights
Camacho was found shot near a bar in Bayamon
A man next to the boxer was killed, police said
During his career he beat legendary boxers Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard
The bullet caused damage to two vertebrae in Camacho's neck
Hector “Macho” Camacho, the flamboyant boxer who awed fans with his quick hands and ring antics, was shot and critically wounded in Puerto Rico Tuesday, authorities said.
Camacho was shot Tuesday in front of a bar in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, police said. Camacho, 50, was in the passenger seat of a car and next to him was a man who was shot twice and killed, police said.
Camacho was rushed to a nearby hospital, said Dr. Ernesto Torres, of the Centro Medico of Rio Piedras.
Torres told CNN affiliate WAPA TV the bullet appeared to have entered the left side of the boxer’s face and is now lodged in his right shoulder.
If Camacho survives his injuries he may have trouble walking in future, Torres said, because the bullet fractured two vertebrae in his neck.
Camacho was born in Bayamon and raised in New York. He fought professionally for more than 25 years and last fought in 2010.
During his career he beat such legendary boxers as Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard and he held several championships.
No one has yet been arrested over the shooting.
The former star of the ring was sitting in the passenger seat of a black Ford Mustang outside the “Azuquita” bar when the shots were fired, WAPA TV reported.
Capt. Rafael Rosa, of Bayamon Police, identified the driver killed in the attack as Adrian Mojica. He received one shot to the neck and another to the lower back.
The suspects are two men who are believed to have been traveling in a gray vehicle, said Lt. Wilfredo Rivera, of Cataño Police. They escaped after a shootout with police at a residential complex, WAPA TV reported.