Panamanian footballer Gilberto Hernandez shot dead in Colón

Panamanian international footballer Gilberto Hernandez was shot dead by two assailants in the city of Colón. 

The 26-year-old defender, who also played for Club Atletico Independiente, lost his life in a violent attack that left seven others injured.

Gilberto Hernandez had been spending time with friends near his mother's residence when the assailants pulled up in a taxi and opened fire, leaving him fatally wounded. This cruel twist of fate, as described by Panamanian Soccer Federation President Manuel Arias, saw Hernandez in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The incident adds to the grim statistics of violence that have plagued Colón, where over 50 people have lost their lives this year alone. The city, positioned at the north entrance of the Panama Canal, has become a battleground for rival gangs vying for control of drug smuggling routes, leading to an alarming surge in murders.

The attackers fled the scene, but authorities swiftly apprehended one suspect in a nearby apartment complex. However, the motive behind the shocking crime remains unclear.

The grieving father of Gilberto Hernandez has made a heartfelt plea to the youth of Colón to end the cycle of violence and has urged the authorities to initiate projects aimed at rescuing the youth from this tragic path. He also implored the perpetrators to surrender themselves, emphasising the need to prevent further harm.

Panama's football federation and Gilberto Hernandez's club expressed their condolences to his family, as the footballing community mourns the loss of a rising star. 

As the world pays tribute to Gilberto Hernandez's promising career cut short, the call for peace and intervention in Colón grows louder. The footballing fraternity hopes for justice while also remembering another Panamanian player, Amilcar Henriquez, who fell victim to violence in the same city in April 2017.