Gunman kills 19-year-old inside Paso Canoas bar, Costa Rica.

Gunman kills 19-year-old inside Paso Canoas bar, Costa Rica.

NEWS:

A gunman entered a bar in Paso Canoas, Costa Rica, and shot a 19-year-old man multiple times on the night of May 13, 2026, in a targeted killing captured by the establishment’s security camera.

The victim, identified by judicial authorities only by the surname Moraga, was inside the business in the Corredores canton of Puntarenas province when the attacker arrived at about 8 p.m. Moraga died at the scene. Investigators later reported gunshot wounds to his chest, back and right arm.

The surveillance footage records the attack from inside the bar. A later frame-by-frame review placed the visible sequence at approximately 17 seconds. A man dressed in dark clothing walks into the establishment, immediately looks toward the area beside the counter and advances in Moraga’s direction. The victim notices him, moves away and tries to retreat behind the bar as the gunman draws a handgun.

Moraga briefly holds a woman around the waist while attempting to move farther behind the counter. She breaks free and runs away. The attacker continues following Moraga and fires repeatedly once the woman is clear. Other customers are visible nearby, but the shooter directs the gunfire at Moraga. No additional victim was reported wounded in the attack.

The gunman then turns and leaves the bar without rushing. Michael Soto, the acting director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency, said the attacker appeared to enter calmly, locate the intended target, pursue him for a short distance and fire multiple times. Soto also noted that the assailant’s controlled movements and selective fire prevented other people inside the establishment from being hit.

Investigators also did not rule out the possibility that another person had first confirmed Moraga’s presence inside the bar and relayed that information to the shooter. No suspected accomplice was publicly identified.

The footage led to differing descriptions of Moraga’s contact with the woman. Soto offered a cautious interpretation after reviewing the video, saying Moraga’s action appeared to be a defensive reaction while he was trying to hide and escape the shooter. The footage clearly shows physical contact between Moraga and the woman, but it does not establish what he intended in that moment.

Judicial agents recovered several pieces of ballistic evidence from the bar. Those items were sent for forensic examination, while Moraga’s body was transferred to the Judicial Morgue for an autopsy. Authorities did not publicly identify the type or caliber of the handgun.

Investigators disclosed after the initial report that Moraga had previously received death threats. Soto said those threats could be connected to the killing, but emphasized that the motive had not been established and required deeper analysis. Investigators later said Moraga had reported threats weeks before his death and had been offered entry into Costa Rica’s victim and witness protection program, which he declined.

Authorities also examined a possible connection between Moraga’s death and an earlier double homicide in the same border region. Judicial sources said Moraga was related to two men whose bodies were found burned inside a vehicle in Paso Canoas 11 days before the bar shooting.

That vehicle was discovered on May 2 in the La Poza de los Abuelos area. Police responding to the fire found two bodies in the rear seats. The car was taken for forensic processing, and the remains were transferred to the morgue for identification and examination.

Investigators later considered whether the bar killing and the deaths in the burned vehicle were linked to an alleged drug debt. That possible connection remained an investigative theory, not a confirmed motive. No evidence released publicly established who ordered either crime or whether the same criminal group was responsible.

Paso Canoas lies on Costa Rica’s border with Panama. Judicial authorities have described the area as a corridor affected by drug trafficking and disputes involving local criminal groups and organizations operating across the border. That regional context does not by itself prove that Moraga’s killing was drug-related, and investigators had not publicly presented evidence confirming such a motive.

The security video establishes the central sequence of the homicide: an armed man entered the bar, identified Moraga, pursued him inside the establishment, shot him multiple times and walked out. The footage does not reveal the gunman’s name, who sent him, how he knew Moraga’s location or what occurred before the attacker entered.

As of August 6, 2026, authorities had not publicly confirmed an arrest or released the shooter’s identity. The publicly disclosed evidence consisted of the surveillance footage, ballistic material collected at the scene, the victim’s injuries, the prior threats reported by investigators and the possible connection under examination with the earlier double homicide.

News story written by DarkGore.

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