A land dispute in the central Pacific coast community of Herradura resulted in a shooting Wednesday night that left 21 people wounded.
The legal dispute involves a group of Costa Rican families and U.S. citizen Dean Hepner and began 2004, according to Judicial Branch spokesman Federico Vanegas.
A Puntarenas judge ruled June 21 that the finca belongs to Hepner, who placed it under the names of two Costa Rican corporations, or sociedades anónimas: Icotón S.A. and Inversionistas Internacionales Ajar C.R. S.A.
A group of people had apparently invaded the property after Hepner bought it and fraudulently sold pieces of it to people who bought it “in good faith,” believing the transaction was legitimate, Vanegas said.
Following the June 21 court ruling, National Police evicted those living on the property, and some officers stayed until Sunday to provide security and prevent conflicts, National Police Assistant Director Rigoberto Rodríguez told The Tico Times. Private security guards began guarding the property after the police left.
At about 8 p.m. Wednesday night, a group of residents arrived to the property and tried to reclaim it. Rodríguez would not confirm whether the guards fired the shots.
However, Vanegas said two firearms were confiscated from the guards by the Garabito Prosecutor General for investigation.
All 21 wounded were taken to the Red Cross Clinic in Jacó, just south of Herradura – though only one patient's condition was considered critical as of yesterday afternoon.
National Police officers were sent back to the area to prevent further conflicts. |
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