ON Wednesday, anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated at a campaign rally in the Capital Quito.
This was confirmed by Ecuador’s current president, President Guillermo Lasso.
The deadly incident took place as 59-year-old Villavicencio was about to leave the said campaign event.
Minutes before being shot, the presidential candidate was giving a speech.
A member of his campaign team said Villavicencio was getting into a car when a man stepped forward and shot him in the head.
Reports say that he was shot a total of 3 times.
At least nine people were injured including two police officers and the suspect who was shot during an exchange of bullets with security.
The suspect later died from injuries sustained during the shootout, which led to his capture.
Later, Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office said six people had been arrested during raids in Quito.
Videos on social media show supporters inside the building in panic and diving for cover while gunshots are being fired.
Before the incident, Villavicencio, a serving congressman and a former journalist, had been outspoken about corruption and the violence caused by drug trafficking that is now gripping Ecuador.
To note, Villavicencio is married with 5 children.
He was also one of 8 candidates in the first round of the elections which is set to take place on August 20, though not the frontrunner.
As of now, the Ecuadorean Prosecutor’s Office said Villavicencio’s body had been transferred to a morgue for an autopsy and an investigation has been launched to look into the attack.
Meanwhile, President Guillermo Lasso vowed the crime would not go unpunished and has declared a state of emergency for the entire country as well as 3 days of national mourning.
