Ecuador mayor shot dead while in car with son

2025-01-13 08:09:05Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Eber Ponce Rosero

The mayor of Arenilla, Eber Ponce Rosero, died after being shot five times while driving with his young son in southeastern Ecuador, the Association of Municipalities of Ecuador (AME) announced in a post on social media the day before (January 12).

"We sadly announce the death of our beloved mayor of Arenillas," AME announced, explaining that the incident occurred after 4:30 p.m. (local time) when the 45-year-old mayor was attacked by a man whose identity is still unknown.

According to what the Ecuadorian newspaper "El Comercio" reported, it is not clear whether the mayor had been threatened earlier.

Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian Police said in a statement that the "violent incident" recorded in Arenillas "resulted in three gunshot wounds. The injured person was transferred to a medical center, where unfortunately the mayor's death was confirmed. His minor son was injured but not in a life-threatening condition."

In Ecuador, a Latin American country, assassinations of politicians are a common occurrence.

Ecuador has long been experiencing its bloodiest era due to drug trafficking and local gangs who are at war for control of the streets, prisons and drug routes.

In August 2023, Ecuador's presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, was executed. An execution that sparked a chain of assassinations of Ecuadorian politicians.

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