An Ecuadorian politician was executed in broad daylight in front of a crowd of people after wrapping up a council meeting, authorities in the country have said.
Diana Carnero, 29, had just finished the meeting in the town of Naranjal in Guayas on Wednesday afternoon and was reportedly filming a video addressing poor road conditions when she was attacked.
Police said two male suspects approached the councilwoman on a motorcycle and shot her in the head before fleeing.
Bystanders provided first aid assistance to Carnero, who was rushed to Naranjal Basic Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The killing is the latest following the eruption of violence in Ecuador caused by heavily armed drug cartels in the country.
Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office says it will be leading the investigation. As of Thursday afternoon, no arrests had been reported.
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Guayaquil deputy mayor Blanca López said: “This must end, wanting better days for our cantons, provinces and country cannot mean putting our lives at risk.”
The gun attack just one day after the town’s Governor Alberto Molina met with law enforcement in Naranjal to discuss the recent surge in violence that authorities have blamed on warring criminal gangs.
In January, President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency, imposing a strict curfew and granting the military permission to carry out operations inside prisons in a bid to restore order.
Many people are choosing to stay at home, while schools and businesses have been shuttered as soldiers patrol the streets of the country’s biggest cities.
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