Seven Dead in Latest Ecuador Pool Hall Shooting
Gunfire at a pool hall in Santo Domingo kills seven people – Ecuador sees violence rise
Police investigated a shooting at a nightlife pool hall in the city of Santo Domingo, located about 150 kilometres west of Quito. Reports said seven people died from gunshot wounds after gunmen opened fire on two men near the entrance, forcing pedestrian traffic to scatter. The attackers entered the hall and continued shooting until they fled before a police vehicle approached.
Massacre images circulate, but footage unverified
- Security camera footage suggests attackers wore black masks and fired live rounds at the pool hall entrance.
- Police are conducting an investigation and pursuing suspects, but AFP has not independently verified the footage.
Violence trends – a record, but a crisis continues
- In recent months, similar massacres occurred in General Villamil Playas and at a cockfighting ring near Santo Domingo, killing at least nine and twelve people respectively.
- Ecuador’s homicide rate rose from 6 per 100,000 residents in 2018 to 38 per 100,000 in 2024.
- Between January and May, official figures recorded more than 4,051 homicides – the most violent start to a year in the country’s recent history.
- President Daniel Noboa has promised a crackdown on crime, but despite extensive operations and ongoing states of emergency, violence remains high.
Gun gangs exploit Ecuador’s strategic ports
- Transnational cartels have used Ecuadorian ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe, contributing to the surge in organized crime.
- Seventy‑three percent of the world’s cocaine production passes through Ecuadorian ports.
- In 2024, the country seized a record 294 tons of drugs – primarily cocaine – compared to 221 tons in 2023.
Violence peaks in Guayas province, one province where a state of emergency was declared
- Last weekend, 14 people were killed in massacres in the troubled province of Guayas, one of four provinces where the president recently declared a state of emergency to combat gang crime.
Ecuador, once seen as a bastion of peace in Latin America, is now embroiled in a crisis of escalating drug trafficking and gang violence – a crisis that threatens to undermine its security and economy.
