Gunmen open fire on Panama’s star, Hernández, scores injured

Gilberto Hernández, a member of Panama’s national football team, tragically lost his life when gunmen opened fire on a gathering in a Colón city building. This devastating incident occurred on a Sunday afternoon and resulted in the 26-year-old’s death, along with injuries to seven others, as reported by the BBC.

The report does not confirm whether Hernández, who also played for Club Atlético Independiente, was the intended target of the attack or what the motive behind it may have been. Colón has witnessed a series of violent incidents over recent months as two rival gangs vie for control of profitable drug smuggling routes.

In the current year alone, Colón, a city with a population of 40,000, has recorded no less than 50 fatalities, according to the report. Situated at the north entrance of the Panama Canal, this port city serves as a crucial transit point for cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe.

Two armed assailants coerced a taxi driver to transport them to a building in the Barrio Norte neighborhood of the city. There, they opened fire on the assembled group before fleeing the scene.

Hernández had made his debut in the Panamanian national team in March of the same year during a match against Guatemala. In the wake of this tragedy, the player’s father implored the youth of Colón to “put an end to the violence” and urged authorities to initiate projects aimed at rescuing young people from the clutches of violence. He also appealed to the assailants to surrender and refrain from causing further harm.

Both Panama’s football federation and Hernández’s club have conveyed their heartfelt condolences to his grieving family.