Two masked gunmen forced their way into a public hospital in Guanacaste early Saturday and shot a patient to death as he lay on a stretcher in the observation area, in an unusually brazen attack that has prompted tighter security at the facility. The shooting occurred between approximately 3:05 a.m. and 3:10 a.m. at Hospital La Anexión in Nicoya.
The attackers arrived by car carrying long guns believed to be AR-15-style rifles. They threatened a hospital security guard, entered the building and went directly to the area where the patient was being treated. The victim, identified by the surnames Valverde Matarrita, was 32 years old. He was shot multiple times in the face and chest and died at the hospital.
Valverde Matarrita had been admitted approximately two days earlier for an injury to one of his legs and remained under observation when the gunmen entered the facility. An elderly woman was also struck by gunfire during the attack. She suffered a gunshot wound to the buttock but was reported in stable condition, and the injury was not considered life-threatening.
Authorities have since revealed that Valverde Matarrita previously had police protection ordered by prosecutors in Guanacaste. That protection, however, had been withdrawn before Saturday’s attack. Officials have not yet explained publicly why the protection was removed or why the victim may have been targeted.
Police started an operation to locate the attackers following the shooting. The car used in the escape has been found by authorities, but no arrests had been announced as of Saturday afternoon. The Judicial Investigation Agency, known as the OIJ, is investigating the killing. The Costa Rican Social Security Fund, which operates the public hospitals, reinforced security at Hospital La Anexión following the attack. Hospital services continued operating normally Saturday.
The shooting is particularly brazen because the attackers were willing to enter an operating medical facility, threaten security personnel and move through the hospital to reach their intended target. Hospital La Anexión is one of the main public medical centers serving Nicoya and surrounding communities on the Nicoya Peninsula, including an area heavily visited by foreign tourists and home to a sizable expatriate population.
The attack adds another security concern for Guanacaste, where authorities have been confronting violent crime linked to disputes between criminal groups in parts of the province. For the hospital, the immediate issue is how two heavily armed men were able to get inside the facility and reach a patient. Security has already been strengthened while investigators work to reconstruct the attack and identify those responsible.
No motive for the killing had been announced by Saturday afternoon.
