Local police chief Marcelo Castillo blamed the attack on settling scores between rival gangs
Six people were killed and six others were injured in an attack launched earlier today by gunmen in Guayaquil, one of the cities in Ecuador plagued by organized crime.
Local police chief Marcelo Castillo attributed the attack to a settling of scores between rival gangs. As he told a press conference, four or five gunmen got out of a black car and started shooting. “Obviously, this is retaliation related to prior criminal acts. They are killing each other without mercy,” he said characteristically.
Ecuador – which borders Colombia and Peru, the world’s top cocaine-producing countries – is experiencing the worst escalation of violence in its modern history. Drug-trafficking-related crime resulted in homicides almost doubling in 2022 compared to 2021, from 14 to 25 per 100,000 residents.
On May 25, six people were killed and as many wounded when gunmen opened fire inside a restaurant in the tourist town of Montañita.
Two days earlier, gunmen stormed a funeral home in neighboring Manda and opened fire on attendees, killing four and injuring eight.
Authorities attribute the spike in violence to gang battles for control of the Pacific coast, a strategic hub for drug trafficking to the US and Europe.
Source :Skai
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