Assemblyman and his wife die in an armed attack at a circus

An assemblyman and his wife died on Sunday night after an armed attack in a circus in the port city of Manta, affected by an escalation of violent events, despite a reinforced presence of public forces and the validity of a Exception status.

The assembly member for the Citizen Revolution movement, Cristhian Nieto, who produced the circus show, died from several gunshot wounds, Commander Fabary Montalvo, chief of the police of zone 4 to which the city belongs, confirmed to the press. Nieto was an alternate assemblyman, a figure chosen at the polls alongside the holder of a parliamentary office and who replaces the main assemblyman in case of need.

His wife, Nicole Burgos, died minutes later in a hospital from a gunshot wound near the head, the commander added, while two other people were injured.

According to preliminary information, the perpetrators of the crime were inside the circus, they came out from the back and opened fire in an attack “targeted” against Nieto and his wife, whose motives are being investigated, the police command said.

More than 12 ballistic remains of a long weapon were found at the site, Montalvo said.

The Ecuadorian Assembly issued a statement regretting the murders, while Luisa González, president of the political movement to which Nieto belonged, related to former president Rafael Correa, questioned the situation of violence in the country. “The outrage and pain overcomes,” she wrote on the X network.

Due to its geographical position, the port city of Manta, 256 kilometers southwest of the capital, is a strategic site for the operation of gangs that transport drug shipments abroad along its coasts, according to authorities.

A week ago, the sending of specialized units to reinforce security in the province of Manabí and its main cities, Manta and Portoviejo, was announced in the face of the increase in violent deaths and the presence of organized crime groups. This and six other Ecuadorian provinces were declared in a state of emergency.

Between January and May 2024, 337 violent deaths have been recorded in Manabí, of which 134 occurred in Manta, according to official figures.

Earlier, in Durán, another dangerous city in the coastal province of Guayas, southwest of Ecuador, two women, including a minor, were murdered inside their homes. In response to an inquiry from the AP, police indicated that more information would be released in the coming hours.

The government has identified 22 criminal organizations operating in the country, which it classifies as terrorists, and which it has declared as a “military objective” in the midst of an internal armed conflict.

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