Armed attack in Ecuador leaves four dead, including a footballer | OneFootball

Four people died in an armed attack on the coast of Ecuador, including a soccer player from a second division team, the police reported this Thursday.

Armed men dressed in police uniforms opened fire on Wednesday night against the victims who were staying in a hotel in the city of Manta, in the west of the country, one of the drug trafficking violence hotspots in Ecuador, the police said in a statement.

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The shots also left two injured.

Ecuador is one of the most violent countries in the region due to the war between gangs that take advantage of its strategic ports, its dollarized economy, and corruption.

Among the dead is Maicol Valencia, a 23-year-old player from Exapromo Costa, who was set to play against Deportivo Quito this Saturday. According to local media, the soccer player was introduced to the team on the same day as the massacre.

Valencia “was a collateral victim of the attack directed at other people not affiliated with our club,” stated the Exapromo club in a statement.

It added that one of the injured is also a soccer player from the team and is hospitalized.

The motive for the attack is still unknown.

According to the police, the attackers arrived in a white van, which was later set on fire in another part of the city.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.