Police guard the hospital where several of the injured were taken after an attack against presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday.
Juan Diego Montenegro/AP
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Juan Diego Montenegro/AP
Police guard the hospital where several of the injured were taken after an attack against presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday.
Juan Diego Montenegro/AP
QUITO, Ecuador — An Ecuadorian presidential candidate known for speaking up against corruption was shot and killed Wednesday at a political rally in the capital amid a wave of startling violence in the South American country
President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio and suggested organized crime was behind his slaying. Villavicencio was one of eight candidates in the Aug. 20 presidential vote, though not the frontrunner. The politician, 59, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement.
“I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” Lasso said in a statement. “Organized crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law.”
Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said a suspect in the assassination of Villavicencio died of wounds after being arrested by authorities.
Violence in Ecuador, a historically calm country, has surged in the past year as drug traffickers have flocked to the South American nation, resulting in a concerning uptick in drug trafficking, violent killings and child recruitment by gangs.
Videos on social media appear to show the candidate walking out of the event surrounded by guards. The video then shows Villavicencio entering a white truck followed by gunfire, information that was confirmed to the Associated Press by Patricio Zuquilanda, Villavicencio