Great sorrow for Gilberto Hernandez: The Panamanian national soccer player was shot dead in the port city of Colon on Sunday.
Hernandez, who earned two caps as a central defender, was only 26 years old. The police confirmed the professional’s death. He died in an armed attack on a group of people, the police assume a conflict between criminal gangs.
One person was arrested. Hernandez was the only fatality, and there were also seven injured. Further background to the fact was not initially known, whether Hernandez and his companions were specifically attacked is to be determined during investigations.
Panama’s association expressed its condolences and sympathy to Hernandez’s family and friends. The Club Atletico Independiente, for which Hernandez had played, paid tribute to the deceased with a photomontage. Hernandez can be seen from behind on a rock, raising a trophy in the sky. “See you soon, fly high, two-time champion,” wrote the club to the picture.