Gilberto Hernández died in the drug war.
Gilberto Hernández (right) died in the shooting. EPA / AOP
Panamanian national football team player Gilberto Hernández died in a shooting in the city of Colón, reports BBC.
The two gunmen forced the taxi driver to take them to the neighborhood of Barrio Norte. There they opened fire on the people gathered there.
The gunmen fled the scene, but one suspect was arrested in a nearby residential building.
Among the crowd was 26-year-old Hernández, who died from his injuries. Seven others were injured.
According to the BBC, it is not clear whether the midfielder who represented Club Atlético Independiente was the actual target of the shooting.
Hernández made his debut for the Panamanian national team in March against Guatemala.
The player’s father asked the youth of the city to stop the violence and demanded the authorities to protect the youth of the area.
He still had his own message for the killers.
– Don’t cause any more damage.
The city of Colón has recently been the scene of a drug war between two gangs. In recent months, murder cases have become more common in the city.
According to the BBC, more than 50 people have been killed this year alone. The city has 40,000 inhabitants.
Colón is located at the northern end of the Panama Canal, and cocaine is smuggled from South America to Europe through it.