On Monday afternoon, inside a barber shop in Desamparados, Costa Rica, two armed individuals entered and, without warning, opened fire on a barber who was cutting a client’s hair. The victim collapsed at the scene and was pronounced dead by emergency teams due to multiple gunshot wounds.

A second person present was seriously injured and immediately transferred to a medical centre in critical condition. Investigators from the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) secured the site, gathered evidence and witness accounts, and are working to identify the assailants.

Local residents reported hearing six shots in rapid succession before fleeing the area in panic. Authorities believe the attack could relate to a settling of scores or personal vendetta, and are treating the case with urgency amid concerns over rising armed violence in the southern zone of the capital.