Panamanian international defender Gilberto Hernandez was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the Caribbean city of Colon, police said Monday.
According to the AFP, Panama defender Hernandez, 26, was killed in the city of Colon on Sunday afternoon, after gunmen attacked a group of people in a building.
The footballer was the only person killed, but seven other people were reportedly injured in the incident.
Hernandez, who won two caps for Panama in March this year, including a friendly against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, died Sunday after shots were fired from a passing car, police said.
Six other people were injured in the shooting.
Crime rates in Colon, around 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Panama City, have surged in what authorities attribute to fighting between rival drug gangs.
The Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT) meanwhile paid tribute to Hernandez in a statement on X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter.
“FEPAFUT extends its condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as to the entire CAI and Panamanian soccer family,” it said.
