Panama Arrests 2 in Slaying of U.S. Canal Official

Two people have been arrested in the killing of the American acting finance director of the Panama Canal Commission, police announced Saturday.

William J. Joyce was shot in his home last Tuesday by an intruder.

Joyce, 56, was taken to the U.S. military’s Gorgas Hospital, where he died early Wednesday. The two masked burglars took money and jewelry from Joyce’s home. Police said they had recovered the jewelry.

Leslie Loaiza, police director, told reporters Saturday that 19-year-old Rafael Palma Ricaurter and an unidentified minor had been arrested in connection with the case.

Loaiza said the minor told authorities that he shot Joyce in the abdomen because “he didn’t want to sit down.”

The minor also is wanted by Interpol authorities in neighboring Costa Rica on suspicion of assaulting and killing a Costa Rican law enforcement agent, Loaiza said.

Joyce was the fourth-highest official of the nine-member commission, which runs the Panama Canal.

Following the shooting, the U.S. Southern Command said Thursday that it is increasing its military patrols in an effort to check a crime wave sweeping the capital and surrounding areas.