Nine murders mar Panama Christmas

Two adults and a minor were gunned down between the night of December 24 and 25 in Arraiján the start of  holiday murder toll that reached nine by Thursday morning, December 26.

The first case was at 10:00 pm on Christmas Eve in a  barbershop in Colinas del Sol in Nuevo Chorrillo, Arraiján. A man tapped on the door and signaled through the glass that he wanted a haircut.

Once inside he took out a firearm and shot one of the barbers, several times.

The victim Ramón Gutiérrez was taken to the Arraiján Social Security polyclinic and then to Santo Tomás Hospital where he died.

The second homicide was in the La Playita de Bique sector in Arraiján where  17-year-old Emanuel Guitiérrez was killed after having an argument with a 21-year-old. He was shot in the eye.

Erick Bethancourt, 28, was the third person to be killed in the area. He had been released a few days earlier from block 14 in La Joyita prison where  15 prisoners were killed in a shooting and stabbing rampage.

According to a police source he received a call from a woman at 3:00 am telling him to go up to the Westen Mall. Where waiting for hitmen the place hitmen shot him.

In Cañas de Veraguas Jorge Pineda, 40, died of stab wounds received in a brawl..

Two women were found dead  inside a residence in the community of Villa del Caribe, in  Colón

The victims were Ruth Wesh Lanfor, 61, years and Yasury Vásquez, 19.  A femicide investigation is underway