In a devastating incident, Gilberto Hernández, a talented footballer representing Panama’s national team, lost his life to gun violence in the city of Colón. The 26-year-old athlete was among a group of individuals who had assembled in a building within the city when unidentified assailants unleashed a hail of bullets.
Tragically, Hernández succumbed to his injuries, while seven others were wounded during the attack. The circumstances surrounding the shooting, including whether the footballer was the intended target and the motive behind the incident, remain shrouded in uncertainty.
Colón, a city grappling with escalating violence, has witnessed a surge in homicides in recent months. The surge in crime is largely attributed to the fierce rivalry between two criminal factions vying for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes.
To date, over 50 lives have been claimed by violence in Colón, a community with approximately 40,000 residents, this year alone. The city, located at the northern gateway to the Panama Canal, serves as a critical transit point for the smuggling of cocaine from South America, en route to Europe.
The tragic shooting unfolded during the afternoon hours on a fateful Sunday. Two armed assailants coerced a taxi driver to transport them to a building situated in Colón’s Barrio Norte neighborhood, where they indiscriminately opened fire on the group gathered there. The perpetrators swiftly fled the scene.
Gilberto Hernández had only recently made his debut appearance in the Panamanian national team, in March of this year, during a match against Guatemala. His untimely demise has left a void in the hearts of football enthusiasts and the nation as a whole.
In the wake of this heart-wrenching incident, the player’s father issued a heartfelt plea to the youth of Colón, urging them to renounce violence. He called upon authorities to initiate projects aimed at rescuing young lives from the clutches of violence, emphasizing the importance of stemming the tide of bloodshed.
In a plea to the perpetrators, he beseeched them to surrender, emphasizing, “Don’t cause more harm.”
Panama’s football federation, as well as Gilberto Hernández’s club, expressed their deepest condolences to the grieving family, mourning the loss of a promising talent taken too soon by senseless violence.