On Sunday, Ecuadorian police announced they had discovered the bodies of Brigitte Garcia, the 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente, and Jairo Loor, its communications director, both shot dead in a car. The authorities, who attribute this wave of violence to drug trafficking, have opened an investigation into this case.
National police said they were investigating the deaths of Garcia and Loor after their bodies were discovered in Manabi province. Both victims had gunshot wounds, authorities said in a statement.
Later that day, police revealed the gunshots came from inside the car, which was rented, and that they were tracking the vehicle’s GPS system.
Garcia was a member of former President Rafael Correa’s Citizens’ Revolution Movement party.
Correa and Luisa Gonzalez, the party’s presidential candidate in recent elections, called Garcia’s killing an assassination on the X social media platform.
“I just learned that they assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente, Brigitte Garcia,” Gonzalez said in a post.
“I am speechless, in shock, no one is safe in Ecuador NO ONE. »
Garcia is the latest political figure in the country to be assassinated following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last August. Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed leaving a campaign event two weeks before the election.
President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency last January, amid a surge in violence that saw gunmen invade a live television station. Noboa also designated 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations.
The state of emergency was extended earlier this month.
In a statement, Noboa’s government condemned the killings and said it was working with police and prosecutors to ensure a rapid investigation.
The government also announced that it would strengthen policies to maintain public order until it achieves security and peace for all Ecuadorians.
