Ecuador: Armed Attack Leaves Six Dead in Guayaquil

On Monday, a new armed attack in southern Guayaquil left at least six dead and six wounded. It is the second massacre so far this month in the Ecuadorian city.

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It was apparently a settling of scores between gangs, said the police chief of the southern district of Guayaquil, Colonel Marcelo Castillo, in statements to the press.

According to the colonel, a black vehicle arrived during the early hours of Monday morning in the Guasmo sector, and "four or five people got out" to shoot. Castillo said that more than a dozen people were "in the street drinking" when the vehicle arrived.

"These are pure reprisals for previous acts of violence. They kill each other without mercy," the police chief added. 

New massacre leaves 6 dead and 6 injured, in Guasmo south of Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The official further said that at the scene of the crime "132 ballistic evidence between long and short weapons were found."

One of those killed in the new armed attack has a "criminal record for illicit association in 2022," while one of the wounded was involved in drug trafficking, Castillo said. 

This massacre follows another in the city just two weeks ago, when three men opened fire inside a home, killing five people, including a 5-year-old girl and a policeman. Eight other people were wounded.

Such attacks have become frequent in Ecuador, amid a proxy war between drug gangs. Guayaquil is considered one of the 24 most violent cities in the world, according to a 2022 ranking.