Panamanian soccer player dies at the age of 26 in shooting

Gilberto Hernández, a 26-year-old defender of Club Atlético Independiente (CAI), of the Panamanian League, and who played for his country’s senior team, died this Sunday in a shooting on a street in the Caribbean province of Colón.

Hernández, who was a figure of the CAI in the campaigns that ended with the conquest of the last two titles of the team, was with six other people when two unknown men got out of a taxi and shot them.

The attack, whose causes are being investigated by the authorities, left seven people injured who were immediately transferred to a nearby hospital, where Hernández’s death was later announced.

After learning of the tragedy, the Panamanian Soccer League ordered a minute of silence to be observed in memory of Hernández before the start of the match between the Umecit clubs and Sporting de San Miguelito, which closed this Sunday the seventh day of the Clausura 2023 tournament.

In its X social network account, the LPF regretted that Hernández lost his life “in an isolated act of violence” that left several injured.

Hernández, who made his debut in 2018 with Árabe Unido, joined the ranks of CAI in 2022, after being transferred that same year by Herrera.

On March 12, he was called up to the national team, with which he played two games and participated in several microcycles under the direction of DT Thomas Christiansen.

Through X, Club Atlético Independiente mourned the death of its player. “We join the pain of their children, family and friends. He flies high, leader and two-time champion, ”the club highlighted.