Murder in Ecuador: presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio killed in Quito

Ecuador is reeling from the tragic assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio as he left a political rally in Quito. The attack, which took place less than two weeks before the elections, occurred when Villavicencio was on his way to get into a car after the rally. As he was about to board, gunfire erupted. The incident left nine people injured, including a candidate for the National Assembly and two police officers. Villavicencio, a former journalist renowned for his criticism of corruption, had recently revealed that he had been threatened by a gang linked to drug trafficking.