Ecuador’s youngest mayor shot dead

The youngest mayor of Ecuador, 27-year-old Brigitte García, and her communications director, Jairo Loor, were found shot dead Sunday morning. García, who served as the mayor of San Vicente, a small coastal city, was discovered in what appeared to be a rental car, alongside Loor, both having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. 

Initial investigations indicate that the shots were fired from within the vehicle. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Government characterized the occurrence as a “criminal action”. No specific individual or group has been implicated in the killings.

Ecuador has been confronting a surge in violence perpetrated by armed gangs. In January, the nation declared a state of emergency following the escape of notorious gang leader José Adolfo Macías, also known as ‘Fito’, from a prison in Guayaquil. President Daniel Noboa subsequently declared an “internal armed conflict” and ordered military operations to curb the violence, resulting in the apprehension of over 2,000 individuals within two weeks of the decree.