Ecuadorian presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio shot dead as country warns assassination will 'not go unpunished' | The Sun

ECUADORIAN presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been shot dead at a political rally in Quito just a few weeks before election day.

Villavicencio was a member of Ecuador’s National Assembly before its dissolution in May and was one of the leading candidates in the first round of voting to succeed President Guillermo Lasso.

He was shot multiple times as he left the rally at a high school in northern Quito, according to General Manuel Iñiguez of the Ecuadorian national police.

Villavicencio was then rushed to a nearby clinic, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 59.

A suspect in the candidate's assassination died from their wounds after being arrested by authorities, Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said.

General Manue Iñiguez also noted a police officer was injured in the attack.

The gunmen launched a grenade toward Villavicencio’s group, however, it didn’t explode.

Villavicencio’s death comes as the country is dealing with a wave of violent crimes, including drug trafficking and murders.

“I assure you this crime will not go unpunished,” President Lasso wrote in a statement.

“Organized crime has gone too far but they will feel the full weight of the law.”

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HAUNTING VIDEO

Video posted on social media appears to show Villavicencio walking out of the event with his guards and entering a white truck before gunfire erupts.

Dozens of gunshots can be heard as the terrified crowd is seen running away from the sound.

A separate clip appears to show Villavicencio on the ground while another appears to show him being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher.

Villavicencio was a vocal critic of corruption, especially during the tenure of former President Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017.

His campaign adviser, Patricio Zuquilanda, told the Associated Press that his client had received several death threats before the shooting and reported them to the authorities.

“The Ecuadorian people are crying and Ecuador is mortally wounded,” he told the outlet. “Politics cannot lead to the death of any member of society.”

Former vice president Otto Sonnenholzner echoed Zuquilanda’s words in a news conference saying, “We are dying, drowning in a sea of tears and we do not deserve to live like this. We demand that you do something.”

Villavicencio is survived by his wife and five children.

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