Panama's National Police have arrested 77-year-old American lawyer Kenneth Darlington, who allegedly shot and killed two environmental protestors. The incident occurred on Tuesday when Darlington was observed calmly approaching a group of demonstrators who were obstructing the Pan-American Highway in the Chame sector. These protesters were expressing their opposition to a proposed mining contract involving a Canadian company.
The incident was recorded on video, as numerous individuals, including members of the media, were present. In the footage, Darlington can be seen waving his firearm and engaging in a verbal altercation with the demonstrators, which ultimately escalated to gunshots being fired.
According to CNN, the unusual scene of violence is the latest flashpoint in some of the largest protests to hit the Central American nation since Panamanians flooded the streets en masse to demonstrate against the dictatorship of Manuel Noriega in the 1980s.
For weeks, tens of thousands of protestors have vented their fury at a controversial mining contract given to Minera Panama, the local subsidiary of a Canadian mining company, to extract copper, a key component in electric car batteries.
The contract allows Canada's First Quantum Minerals to restart an open-pit copper mine surrounded by rain forest for the next 20 years, with the possibility of extending for another 20 years.
As per the news portal, environmentalists say the mine could contaminate drinking water and devastate tracts of the 32,000 acres the company negotiated use of in exchange for yearly payments of $375 million.
