On Sunday, Agustin Intriago, the mayor of the Ecuadorian port city of Manta, was assassinated in an armed attack.
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The 38-year-old mayor was shot several times as he was unveiling city projects at a local neighborhood. He was taken to a hospital for emergency treatment but died from his wounds.
Intriago was re-elected in 2023 by the Citizen Revolution Movement, the most important opposition party led by former president Rafael Correa.
Intriago's death was announced by his sister, Ana Intriago, who requested the perpetrators be brought to justice.
The tweet reads, "His last tour. The Manta Mayor Agustin Intriago attended today the inauguration of the children's and youth games at the Jocay stadium. He then went to the 15 de Septiembre neighborhood, where he was hit by a burst of shots. Ariana Chancay, a young athlete who was greeting him at the time, also died. Four other people are injured."
"My brother has died. This crime cannot go unpunished. Please, let's not let these evildoers win," she tweeted.
Previously, Intriago had received threats and requested police protection. The policemen acted during the incident and chased the vehicle in which the attackers escaped. The attack against him left a deceased woman as a collateral consequence.
The stolen van in which the criminals were fleeing suffered an accident during the chase. The police managed to stop the driver but the other suspect fled over a hill.
Since Guillermo Lasso became President in 2021, Ecuador has become one of the most insecure countries in South America as a result of the lack of control over drug gangs.