According to police, Jonathan Gonzalez, an Ecuadorian football player, was killed on Friday in what was his third murder in the south American nation since September.
Authorities claimed that the 31-year-old, who was referred to as “Speedy” Gonzalez, was injured in a shooting at a home in Esmeraldas, a province bordering Colombia and where rival drug gangs operate.
A motive for the crime was not provided by the police.
Unidentified second victim passed away while being taken to the hospital.
Also read: Ecuador’s President Calls For Referendum to Allow Foreign Military Bases
Colombia and Peru are the two biggest cocaine producers in the world, and Ecuador has become the gateway to 70% of the world’s supply.
The homicide rate increased from six per 100, 000 people in 2018 to a record high of 47 in 2023, before falling to 38 last year as a result of the rise in gangs.
Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yepez, both from the second-division team Exapromo Costa FC, were killed on September 10 during an armed assault in Manta, a coastal city in southwest Portugal.
Valencia was killed in the gunshots, and Yepez was injured two days later.
The players were the target of another attack, according to the club.
Jonathan Gonzalez previously played for Olimpia in Paraguay and Leon in Mexico as a member of the second-division team 22 de Julio FC.
Source: Channels TV
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