A man from British Columbia was shot and killed during a home invasion gone wrong in Boquete, a community near the border with Costa Rica. According to Jon Azpiri, a journalist for Canadian online publication Global News, Mr. Potrebenko was 53 years old when he lost his life as he protected his wife and mother-in-law when three masked men broke into his home a week ago.

According to Twitter updates posted by Chiriqui Noticias in Panama, Mr. Potrebenko lived in Macano de Cochea. The three suspects entered his home through a window; one of them was armed and shot Mr. Potrebenko, who was watching television with his wife and mother-in-law. He stood up and got in between the women and one armed suspect, who shot him in the stomach even though Mr. Potrebenko had his hands up at the time.

The assailants tied the two women and threw them on top of Mr. Potrebenko, who was losing his life while lying on the living room floor. The suspects took three laptops and stole a Nissan pick-up truck, which was later found in Doleguita, a residential district in the municipality of David.

Comments from neighbors of the victims were quoted by Global News; these comments indicate that two other home invasions had taken place in the community in the last few months, but one neighbor believed that the suspects in this case may have broken into the wrong house. A male friend of Mr. Potrebenko cited yet another crime committed last week in a nearby community, whereby a criminal gang involved with an expat resident was looking to settle a score over weapons and cash. Mr. Potrebenko was apparently a close friend of that victim, but he had nothing to do with guns or money.

Originally from Port Alberni, Joe Potrebenko moved to Costa Rica years ago and settled in Tamarindo Beach, province of Guanacaste, where he was involved in real estate before relocating to Panama.

Tamarindo Beach is one of the largest expat communities in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, but the high cost of living prompts some residents to seek life in more affordable communities such as Boquete, which is far more affordable than Tamarindo Beach and boasts modern infrastructure, which makes it more appealing to expats. Insofar as security, The Costa Rica Star has previously reported that crime statistics and surveys in Nicaragua and Panama seem to indicate that those two nations are safer than Costa Rica.

Friends of Betsy, widow of Mr. Potrebenko, have set up a Go Fund Me online donation page to help her cover expenses through this difficult time. Mr. Potrebrenko is remembered as a big man with a big heart; a gentle and generous fellow who loved to help others in his native Canada as well as in Costa Rica and Panama.