Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas is conscious and could give
testimony to police about being shot in the head in the toilet of a
Mexico City bar.
Cabanas was building Monday on a remarkable recovery he
staged over the weekend, speaking to family members and taking food
by mouth after doctors lowered his sedation level.
A star of the Paraguay national team and Mexican side
America, Cabanas watched his club play a match on television on
Sunday, a 1-0 victory over Ciudad Juarez.
Shortly after the shooting a week ago, surgeons attempted to
remove the small-caliber bullet lodged in Cabanas' skull but
decided surgery was too risky.
"He could give testimony if investigators come to speak with
him, but he is not going to recall what happened," Dr. Ernesto
Martinez told reporters at Angeles del Pedregal Hospital. "We're
not going to interfere with the police."
Martinez said Cabanas recognizes his wife, his children and
his parents, but he said the player is confused about why he is in
hospital.
"He's conscious and he's recognizes family members, but he
doesn't know what day it is, nor where he is," Martinez said. "He
knows it's a hospital, but not which one nor why ... Nor has he
asked."
The main suspect in the case, Jose Jorge Balderas Garza,
remains at large.
Balderas Garza was captured on surveillance cameras at the
bar in question - "Bar Bar" - and was seen leaving a toilet where
Cabanas was shot in the head at point-blank range.
Widespread reports have suggested the shooting just before
dawn followed an argument in which Balderas Garza told Cabanas he
had not been scoring enough goals for America.
Balderas Garza has been described as a wealthy businessman
from northern Mexico, who is said to own 10 luxury cars and four
homes.
There were two false reports last week of Balderas Garza's
arrest - in the Caribbean resort of Cancun and in the northwestern
state of Sonora.
Cabanas has played in Mexico since 2003. He was expected to
lead Paraguay at the World Cup in South Africa, which opens on June
11.
