One of Panama's national soccer team members, who recently played against Lionel Messi and Argentina in an international friendly, Gilberto Hernandez, was shot and killed in Colon, Panama on Sunday afternoon.

The Panamanian soccer star was a defender for his national team and played in that same position professionally for Club Atlético Independiente in Panama. The club is the defending champion of the local Panamanian league.

Gunmen reportedly fired on a group of people from a taxi in the port city of Colon. Hernandez was reportedly one of the people in that group. He was the only fatality, though seven others from that group were injured, according to CBC.

It is still unknown if the soccer star was the target of the shooting or was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Panamanian authorities are now looking into who was the real target of that shooting, as well as what the motive really is.

He played for Panama, which qualified for the 2018 World Cup, the first time the Central American country ever qualified for the prestigious tournament. He was only 26 years old and considered a rising star in Panama.

As a member of the Panama National Team, he made his debut against Guatemala earlier this year and even played against Lionel Messi and Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions, last March. They lost 2-0, though Hernandez was able to take a photo with Messi.

Gunmen Forced a Local Taxi To Conduct a Drive-By Shooting in Panama, Killing Gilberto Hernandez

Reports stated that there were at least two gunmen who opened fire at the group whom the soccer star was with.

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According to the BBC, the gunmen forced the taxi driver to take them to a building in the city's Barrio Norte neighborhood, where Hernandez's mother lives. Once there, they opened fire at a group gathered. After the attack, the gunmen immediately made their escape, though one suspect has already been arrested.

Hernandez's father released a statement and urged the youth of Colon "to stop the violence" and called on the authorities to "launch projects to save the youth from this violence." He then urged his son's killers to give themselves up and not cause any more harm.

Meanwhile, the Football Federation of Panama and Club Atlético Independiente both expressed their condolences to the late soccer star's family.

Gilberto Hernandez Is the Second Professional Soccer Player Shot Dead in Colon, Panama

The Panama National Team defender was not the first Panamanian soccer star to be shot dead in Colon. In 2017, Panama midfielder Amílcar Henríquez was shot to death in Colon province. Much like Gilberto, Amilcar was a prominent member of the country's national team.

According to the Associated Press, it has likely to do with Colon's rising murder rate. The area is located 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Panama City and serves as a port city where ships enter or exit the Panama Canal. However, despite its importance in trade and commerce, the city is being plagued by crime, recording 102 homicides last year. It also has high unemployment and high levels of poverty, as well as a big drug trafficking problem.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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