A candidate in Ecuador’s presidential election, Fernando Villavicencio, has been shot dead, after a campaign speech.
Villavicencio, a former journalist, was shot outside a high school in Quito, after speaking to some young supporters on Wednesday.
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Footage shared on social media of the shooting shows the politician walking out of an event, surrounded by guards, who escorted him through a crowd, chanting and applauding him, as he was ushered into the backseat of a waiting white truck.
A few seconds later, shots are heard, and the passenger door is slammed shut, and then chaos followed, with crowds scampering.
The 59-year-old is a member of parliament, and was one of the eight candidates in the August 20th presidential election, though not a frontrunner.
The police say they are investigating, even as analysts say the broad daylight assassination can be linked to drug cartels, as Villavicencio is a known critic of corruption between the elite, security service, and crime gangs.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
