A municipal councilor in Ecuador’s southwestern province of Guayas was shot dead on Tuesday night while participating in a volleyball match, local media reported on Wednesday, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.

Antonio Cool, a councilor in the municipality of El Empalme, was attacked at a sports court located near the rural community of El Limon. Three other individuals were also injured in the incident.

According to witnesses, armed men on a motorcycle arrived at the scene and opened fire directly at Cool, triggering panic among people who were present at the location.

Cool had been serving as a councilor since 2023 and was affiliated with the Citizen Revolution Movement.

Police have launched an operation in the area to gather evidence and locate those responsible for the attack. Authorities have not yet established a motive for the killing.

El Empalme Mayor Rodolfo Cantos issued a statement on social media expressing his condolences over Cool’s death.

The killing comes as Ecuador continues to confront organized crime under an “internal armed conflict” declared in January 2024 against gangs designated by the government as terrorist organizations.

A nighttime curfew has been in place from May 3 to May 18 across nine provinces, including Guayas, as well as in four high-crime cantons, as part of broader security measures aimed at reducing violence.

Ecuador recorded 9,216 intentional homicides in 2025, the highest annual figure in the country’s history, according to official data.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev