Authorities in Ecuador say the mayor of the nation’s third largest metropolis has been slain in a capturing that killed one different individual and wounded 4 extra, together with two suspected attackers
QUITO, Ecuador — The mayor of Ecuador’s third largest metropolis was slain Sunday in a capturing that killed one different individual and wounded 4 extra, together with two suspected attackers, officers mentioned.
Agustín Intriago, a 38-year-old lawyer, belonged to the native Higher Metropolis motion within the port metropolis of Manta and was not too long ago re-elected to a time period that started in Might.
On his Twitter account, Inside Minister Juan Zapata reported Intriago’s slaying and the opposite casualties. He mentioned the 2 wounded folks suspected of being concerned within the assault have been receiving medical consideration below police surveillance.
A motive for the assault, which occurred whereas the mayor was making a neighborhood go to, was not instantly disclosed.
President Guillermo Lasso wrote on Twitter that he had instructed the nation’s highest police authority to find these accountable. Police reported that specialised models have been deployed on the scene.
The sufferer’s sister, Ana Intriago, wrote on her Twitter account that “this crime can not go unpunished. … Let’s not allow them to win.”
Manta is about 260 kilometers (160 miles) southwest of Ecuador’s capital, Quito, on a bit of Pacific coast utilized by gangs to maneuver giant shipments of medicine to different elements of the Americas and Europe.
Ecuador is gripped by a critical outbreak of violence that authorities attribute to disputes amongst organized crime teams. The federal government can be grappling with a surge in crime that features armed assaults, kidnappings, robberies and extortion.
Authorities additionally mentioned Sunday {that a} battle between rival gang members held in a jail in Guayaquil had resulted within the 5 inmates being killed and 11 wounded.
The clashes erupted within the Litoral jail Saturday afternoon and escalted into the early hours of Sunday, with the sound of gunshots and explosions heard by folks in close by residential areas.
Litoral is taken into account probably the most harmful prisons in Ecuador, with its worst incident a gang battle in 2021 that noticed 119 inmates slain. This previous April, a riot on the jail killed 12 inmates and injured three.