Ecuador's youngest mayor, Brigitte García, killed with her advisor amid state of emergency
Brigitte García, Ecuador's youngest mayor, and her advisor were found shot to death in a vehicle amid a nationwide state of emergency. Ecuador's youngest mayor and her press officer, Brigitte García, were found shot to death in a vehicle amid an ongoing state of emergency. Police found them without vital signs and with gunshot wounds in the vehicle. The 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente and member of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Party was found alongside her advisor, Jairo Loor. The death comes after President Daniel Noboa declared Ecuador in a "state of war" against gangs following "internal armed conflict" and the prison escape of alleged "Los Choneros" gang leader Adolfo "Fito" Macías. So far, 1,534 people have been arrested and five terrorists were killed during over 15,000 operations around the state. The US Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador has advised citizens to exercise increased caution and follow local laws regarding foreign entry to the country.
Published : a month ago by Jonathan Limehouse in World
Ecuador’s youngest mayor and her press officer were found Sunday shot to death in a vehicle amid an ongoing state of emergency, police said.
Brigitte García, the 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente and member of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Party, was found alongside her advisor, Jairo Loor, in the vehicle, Ecuadorian police said in a social media post on X.
Ecuadorian police found the two that morning without vitals and with gunshot wounds, according to the social post.
Police said they’re working to figure out a motive for the shooting.
After collecting ballistics evidence and conducting a preliminary investigation, police determined the shots were fired from inside the vehicle.
Investigators continue to analyze the car's route, which appears to be rented, Ecuadorian police said in an X post shared later that afternoon.
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'No one is safe in Ecuador,' Luisa Gonzalez, fellow Citizen Revolution Party member, says
Luisa Gonzalez, a member of the Citizen Revolution Party who ran to become president of Ecuador in 2023, called García’s death an assassination.
“I've just found out they've assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente Brigitte Garcia," Gonzalez said in a post on X. “I have no words… no one is safe in Ecuador.”
García’s death comes after President Daniel Noboa issued a nationwide state of emergency in January and declared Ecuador was in a “state of war” against gangs after violence ensued following "internal armed conflict” and the prison escape of alleged "Los Choneros" gang leader Adolfo "Fito" Macías.
Macías' gang is accused of numerous car bombings, kidnappings and murders, NBC News reported.
Noboa extended the emergency order by an additional 30 days on March 7.
The 36-year-old president who designated 22 gangs as terrorist groups said the extension would help "keep military patrols going in prisons and violent areas of the country, maintain order and reduce homicides," Reuters reported.
During the emergency order, intentional homicides have been halved — dropping from an average of 24 a day to 12 a day, according to the outlet.
So far, the Ecuadorian government confirmed that 1,534 people have been arrested and five “terrorists” were killed during more than 15,000 operations around the state, the Guardian reported.
US citizens advised to 'exercise increased caution' in Ecuador, US Embassy and Consulate says
The U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador advised Americans abroad to follow "all local laws, including curfew guidance and the requirement for a criminal record check for foreigners entering the country via land border crossings from Colombia or Peru."
“U.S. citizen residents and travelers should continue to exercise increased caution throughout the country, should reconsider travel to areas marked as ‘Level 3,’ and should not travel to areas marked as ‘Level 4’ in the advisory,” according to a U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador news release.
Three U.S. citizens were murdered in Ecuador in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs. The data for 2024 and 2023 was unavailable as of Tuesday.
"U.S. citizens should be aware that individuals not connected with criminal organizations may use the current conflict to commit crimes of opportunity," according to the release.