The public prosecutor, César Suárez, who was leading the investigation into the on-air assault on an Ecuadorian television station has been shot and killed in a brazen daylight attack in the crime-ridden city of Guayaquil.
Suárez, who focused on cases involving organized trans-national crime in Guayas province, one of the country’s most violent areas, was ambushed in the north of the city on Wednesday afternoon.
The country’s attorney general, Diana Salazar said “The criminals, the terrorists, will not h back our commitment to Ecuadorian society. We call on the forces of order to guarantee the security of those who are carrying out their duties. Her office was conducting a preliminary investigation at the site of the killing.”
The Council of the Judiciary condemned the attack in a statement and said that Suarez was traveling to a court hearing when she was killed.
Police said in a statement that the killing had the hallmarks of an assassination, adding that the victim sustained a number of gunshot wounds.
Ecuador has been shaken by a dramatic surge in violence, including the dramatic attack on the studio of TC Television in Guayaquil, the hostage-taking of more than 200 prison staff, explosions in several cities and the kidnapping of police officers
In response, President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency, including a nighttime curfew, and designated 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations
Suárez had reportedly interviewed the 13 gunman captured after police special forces secured the TV station, and was investigating who had ordered the high-profile attack. She had also worked on a number of other high-profile cases involving drug trafficking and political corruption,
Chioma Kalu
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