The deadly shooting is believed to be the result of an attempted robbery, writes El Universe, one of the largest daily newspapers in the South American country. According to the newspaper, a still unknown person walked towards the pub around 9 p.m. and tried to steal the Dutchman’s belongings.
The victim resisted the robbery and was then shot. That happened in the presence of his friends, reports radio station Union Radio 580. Bystanders panicked after the incident, as can be seen in images circulating on social media. In one of the videos, the Dutchman can be seen being lifted from the cafe on a stretcher by emergency services.
The man was rushed to hospital soon after the shooting. He eventually died there. According to several media, police units went to the pub to collect evidence and identify the gunman. It is not yet known whether that led to an arrest.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unable to provide further information this morning and is investigating the situation.
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In Ecuador, things have been restless for some time due to increasing gun violence. In October, President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency in the country. “On the streets of Ecuador, there is only one enemy: drug trafficking,” the president said in a TV speech at the time. “Ecuador is going through a period of uncertainty, an uncertainty caused by several factors, including drug trafficking.” He stressed that the country needs “stronger, more solid” armed forces.
At the end of September, violent clashes broke out in a prison in the southwest of the country between rival gangs linked to drug trafficking and Mexican and Colombian cartels. 119 prisoners were killed. This year has seen several bloody clashes between rival gangs in the country’s overstretched and understaffed prisons. There are about 39,000 people in the 65 prison complexes in Ecuador, while they are equipped for roughly 30,000 inmates.
