Armed Attack on a Hospital Leaves One Dead in Ecuador

In the early hours of Wednesday, four gunmen armed with rifles entered a hospital in Guayaquil city, where one person died as a result of the armed attack.

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Apparently the hitmen wanted to kill a man who was wounded by a bullet while traveling in a vehicle last week. This patient, however, was protected by private guards.

"The man's room was guarded when the hit men arrived. They clashed with the guards. In the middle of the shooting, a guard lost his life," the Ecuavisa TV channel reported.

The acts of violence continued outside the hospital, where other private guards who were on the street confronted the hitmen.

The traces of the shooting that occurred in the street were imprinted in the footprints left on the hospital façade and in a nearby building.

"So far, it has been confirmed that two men, who would belong to the patient's private security, were detained," Ecuavisa said, adding that the National Police have surrounded the area.

This is the second case of gun-related violence that has been recorded in an Ecuadorian hospital in recent months. On Nov. 27, 2022, some seven people with rifles were admitted to a hospital in Chone, a city located in the province of Manabi.

Similar to what happened today in Guayaquil, the hitmen in Chone tried to kill a 16-year-old teenager, who had been injured in a shootout the day before.