US citizen arrested after allegedly killing 2 protestors in Panama

Two individuals died Tuesday, Nov. 7, when a gunman opened fire during one of the protests against a mining contract. Protests have been ongoing for two weeks in Panama.

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A man, later identified as 77-year-old Kenneth Darlington, a U.S. citizen born in Panama, appeared frustrated by a protest-related roadblock near Panama’s capital. He attempted to remove the protestors’ blockade and subsequently fired a pistol, resulting in two fatalities. Police promptly arrested Darlington.

The Panamanian Attorney General’s Office says he was charged with aggravated homicide against both people as well as illegal possession of firearms.

According to local reports, Abdiel Díaz Chávez died at the site of the incident. The other victim, Iván Rodríguez Mendoza, 62, was urgently transferred to the Juan Vega Méndez Polyclinic in San Carlos, where he was pronounced dead. Both of the victims were teachers.

Darlington’s next court appearance is Nov. 15.

Protests erupted following the approval of a contract on Oct. 20, permitting a subsidiary of the Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals to extend its operations in a jungle west of the capital for two decades.

Roadblocks set up by protesters have caused up to $80 million in daily losses to businesses, according to Reuters reporting. Schools have been closed nationwide for over a week.

On Wednesday, Nov. 8, a large silent march travelled through the city of Santiago de Veraguas in mourning of the two demonstrators that were killed.