In a horrific development, an elderly man named Kenneth Franklin Darlington Salas shot two environmental protestors in an outburst for a road blockade in Panama. Kenneth Franklin Darlington Salas, 77, lost his calm and shot down at least two protestors after he threatened them to remove the blockades from the road. The protestors were carrying out a protest reportedly over a controversial mining contract. As a result, they had blocked the Pan-American Highway in Chame, 51 miles from the capital Panama City. Now, Kenneth Franklin Darlington Salas video is spreading like wildfire on social media and netizens are in utter shock over the horrific development.
In the Panama protestors shootout video, Kenneth Franklin Darlington Salas can be seen coming out of his car and asking the protestors to remove the blockade. However, when protestors refuse to do so, the 77-year-old took out his gun and threatened them. At first, Kenneth Franklin Darlington Salas tried to remove the blockade by himself, however, a few rocks were too heavy for him to remove it. As a result, protestors started arguing with him. Losing calm over the altercation, Kenneth Franklin Darlington Salas shot two of the protestors in front of everyone and he was filmed while doing so.
It is pertinent to mention here that Kenneth Franklin Darlington Salas could be sentenced to house arrest rather than being sent to jail because of his age.
In the viral video, a protestor was reportedly heard shouting, "Are you going to kill someone?"
Salas replied, "You want to be the first?” Following that Salas opened fire, first shooting a protester holding a flag and then a second man who went to confront him, before walking off and removing tree trunks that had been blocking the road. He was then arrested.
The victims who were shot down were identified by the US media as Abdiel Diaz, a teacher and union activist, and Ivan Mendoza.
Talking about the protest, it started on October 20, against a contract that allows Canada-based First Quantum Minerals to operate Central America’s biggest open-pit copper mine for at least another 20 years. As per reports, the site in the jungle to the west of the capital is considered environmentally sensitive.