An elderly American man has been arrested after he shot and killed two environmental activists who were blocking traffic on a highway.
A recording was also made of the incident.
The video shows a man with gray hair and glasses approaching the protesters on the highway and arguing with them.
After that, he drew a gun and opened fire. According to police, the perpetrator has been identified as Kenneth Darlington. The 77-year-old man works as a lawyer and teacher, as well as a dual American and Panamanian citizen, reports Magyar Nemzet based on the American news portal New York Post . According to AFP, one of the protesters who was shot died on the spot and the other died in a local hospital.
Environmental protests have been going on for weeks, with people taking to the roads because a Canadian-based company will be able to operate the region's largest copper mine for at least another 20 years as part of a major mining contract. The road closures caused a loss of eighty million dollars a day to businesses, and schools across the country were closed for more than a week, the American newspaper reports.
Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo expressed his condolences to the families of the dead protesters, saying such a crime has no place in his society. The fatal shooting came after Panamanian media reported that a protester had been run over and killed by a foreigner trying to drive through a roadblock last week.
Photo: X / New York Post
