According to authorities, unidentified shooters shot and killed international defender Gilberto Hernandez of Panama in the Caribbean city of Colon on Monday.
Hernandez, who earned two caps for Panama in March of this year, including one in a friendly match against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, passed away on Sunday after being shot by a passing vehicle, according to authorities.
During the shooting, six additional people suffered injuries.
Colon, which is 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Panama City, has experienced an increase in crime, which the authorities ascribe to conflict between competing drug gangs.
The 26-year-old Hernandez played for Club Atletico Independiente of Panama.
Following “a series of operations and search procedures” in Colon, police announced on Monday that a suspect had been detained in connection with the shooting.
Meanwhile, the Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT) extended their condolences to Hernandez in a statement shared on X, the social networking platform that replaced Twitter.
The statement reads: “FEPAFUT extends its condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as to the entire CAI and Panamanian soccer family.”
