Minor Martínez Molina, a 36-year-old police officer with the Costa Rican Border Police, died on Saturday at the Tony Facio Hospital following a shooting incident on March 16 at Playa Bonita in Limón. The incident involved a gunfight between armed gang members and officers from the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ).

Martínez was returning from an operation at APM Terminals in Moín when he encountered the ongoing confrontation.

He joined his fellow officers but sustained a critical chest wound that perforated a lung.

Another OIJ officer, referred to as Ortega, was also injured, suffering a gunshot wound to the jaw, but was discharged from the hospital the same day.

The gunfire injured five civilians as well.

The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) reported that Martínez had served for 12 years and five months, having joined the police force on October 16, 2012. He was currently stationed at the Moín Container Terminal, involved in operations targeting drug trafficking through the port.

Martínez celebrated his 36th birthday just days before the incident.

Following the fatal shooting, his body was transported from the hospital to the Forensic Medicine office in San Joaquín de Flores before being taken to Upala de Alajuela for his funeral.

The Minister of Public Security, Mario Zamora, paid tribute to Martínez, stating he died 'in the line of duty, safeguarding our population in the Limón area,' expressing condolences to his family and the broader police community.

It is believed that the attack was carried out by members of a criminal gang known as "La H" or "Los Hondureños," who reportedly arrived in a vehicle from a central neighborhood in Limón. They opened fire using AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles against presumed members of a rival gang, known as "La T," whose leader, Tonny Alexander Peña Russel, is currently in preventive detention facing charges related to a series of murders.

As the shooting erupted, families enjoying the beach and patrons at local restaurants fled for safety.

Two OIJ agents conducting a vehicle theft investigation nearby responded to the gunfire, and both were equipped with body armor.

They exchanged fire with the attackers as Martínez's police vehicle arrived at the scene.

During the confrontation, the armed assailants faced overwhelming resistance, abandoned their vehicle, and fled, leaving behind their weapons.

On the day following the shooting, a suspect named Zúñiga Chavarría was apprehended in the Portete area, while José María Aragón Obando, allegedly associated with a Nicaraguan criminal organization called Los Tarzanes, was also arrested.

The Ministry of Public Prosecutor has charged both individuals with ten counts of attempted homicide, as the police assert that many others were endangered during the attack.

In light of Martínez's death, one count of attempted homicide has been upgraded to homicide.

InSight Crime's 2017 investigation into Los Tarzanes revealed that the group, led by Agustín Reyes and his siblings, is involved in drug trafficking and smuggling operations.

The gang emerged in the 1990s as part of a network connected to the defunct Norte del Valle Cartel in Colombia, facilitating the transportation of cocaine through Central America for various drug cartels.

Martínez's death marks the second fatality of a police officer from the MSP this year.

Earlier, Officer Osvaldo Sánchez was killed in a motorcycle accident on February 27 while pursuing suspects in San José.

On February 4, Guápiles OIJ deputy chief Geiner Zamora also succumbed to injuries after being shot in a restaurant four days prior.