Ecuador nightclub shooting kills eight: police

Nightclub Attack Leaves Eight Dead in Ecuador’s Santa Lucia

Gunmen Target Party Crowd at 1:15 am, Killing Owner and Mayor’s Brother

Eight people died and two were wounded after gunmen opened fire on a nightclub crowd in Santa Lucia, a town of 38,000 in Ecuador’s Guayas Province.

• Attackers arrived in two pickup trucks and fired at people drinking outside the nightclub at 1:15 am local time (06:15 GMT).
• The nightclub owner, Jorge Urquizo, was the brother of Santa Lucia’s mayor.
• Police found 800 cartridge cases at the scene and the bodies were taken to a morgue in the nearby city of Daule.
• After the attack, gunmen fled along an “unknown route.” A man driving a truck with a revolver was detained, but no involvement was confirmed.
• The police have yet to determine a motive for the shooting.

Mayor’s Office Condemns the Violence

Ubaldo Urquizo, the mayor’s office expressed condolences on social media: “We unite in sorrow and prayer for this violent attack that has struck our community.”

Widespread Gang Violence in Ecuador

Ecuador, once a peaceful haven between the world’s two top cocaine exporters, has seen violence erupt in recent years as gangs tied to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.

• According to government data, more than 70 percent of all cocaine produced worldwide now passes through Ecuador’s ports.
• President Daniel Noboa declared a two‑month state of emergency in Guayas and three other provinces to combat gang violence.
• Despite a stepped‑up military presence, authorities have not stemmed the bloodshed.
• From January to May, officials recorded 4,051 homicides, the most violent start to a year in the country’s recent history.