Ecuador’s Mayor Shot To Death In Vehicle
The mayor of San Vicente, Ecuador was shot dead on Sunday, according to Ecuador’s National Police. Brigitte García, who was Ecuador’s youngest mayor, was found shot dead inside a vehicle alongside her communications director, Jairo Loor.
In an announcement on Sunday, the police revealed that the gunfire appeared not to have come from outside the vehicle based on ballistics evidence. They also said that the vehicle in which García and Loor were shot appears to have been rented.
While the circumstances surrounding the death have yet to be uncovered or released, police are continuing their investigations while tracking the vehicle’s GPS data.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ecuadorian government reacted to the deaths of García and Loor, condemning it. Government authorities have instructed the National Police to join in the investigation in order to determine the responsible parties.
While police have yet to determine a motive for the killing, Luisa Gonzalez, a member of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Party, which García was a part of, said that the death was an assassination.
In a post to X, she wrote, “I’ve just found out they’ve assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente Brigitte Garcia. I have no words, in shock, no one is safe in Ecuador NO ONE while the miserable governments of the Right only live on party and show.”
Me acabo de enterar que han asesinado a nuestra compañera alcaldesa de San Vicente Brigitte García.
No tengo palabras, en shock, nadie está a salvo en Ecuador NADIE mientras los gobiernos miserables de Derecha solo viven de farra y show.— Luisa González (@LuisaGonzalezEc) March 24, 2024
García’s death follows a declaration of a nationwide state of emergency in January. President Daniel Noboa had declared that Ecuador was in a “state of war” against gangs due to violence caused by “internal armed conflict” and the prison break of alleged “Los Choneros” gang leader Adolfo “Fito” Macías, who is accused of numerous murders, kidnappings and car bombings.
