Mayor of Camilo Ponce Enriquez in Ecuador, Jose Sanchez, was confirmed to have been murdered on Wednesday as violence against public authorities in the country escalates. The Ecuadorian police confirmed that Sanchez was jogging with his security team around Nuevo Ponce when armed individuals arrived in a vehicle and opened fire.
The prosecutor’s office has initiated an investigation into Sanchez’s murder and Daniel H., who was with the mayor when the crime occurred, was also murdered on Wednesday. The bodies were taken to the Forensic Center of Machala for autopsies.
Juan Lloret, Prefect of the province of Azuay, confirmed Sanchez’s murder on Wednesday night. In a statement posted on Instagram, Lloret expressed condolences to Sanchez’s family and friends and demanded that the authorities find those responsible.
This is not the first time a mayor has been killed in Ecuador’s recent history. In late March, Mayor Briggite Garcia was found shot dead on March 24 in a car in San Vicente Canton. These murders occurred during the state of emergency declared by President Daniel Noboa through Executive Decree No. 110 in January and subsequently extended through Executive Decree No. 193 in March.
Due to the recent spike in violence against public authorities, 45 mayors have requested police protection. However, only 17 have been provided with the protection they requested.
For more details, please refer to the original report on jurist.org.