Ex-Rangers player Arnold Peralta shot dead in Honduras

A former Rangers midfielder has been shot dead in his hometown in Honduras.

Arnold Peralta, who was a player on the Honduras national team, was found dead in the car park of a shopping centre in La Ceiba.

The 26-year-old played with Rangers for 18 months, helping them win the 2013-14 Scottish League One title but left in January, returning home to play for Club Deportivo Olimpia.

He had won 24 caps for his country and played at both the 2014 World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics.

His father Carlos told a news conference he was devastated.

He said: "This is terrible. They killed my exemplary son. I can't say more because of the pain I feel."

The Honduran Ministry of Security said the car park had its own private security and robbery had been ruled out as a motive because the victim had not been stripped of his belongings.

Osman Madrid, director of the Honduran national football federation, said, "This is a tragic death that the national sport mourns."

Peralta's club has also expressed its sympathies online.