MWE Correspondent
A quiet Sunday morning in this small coastal town turned into a day of mourning after a brutal attack outside a local nightclub left eight people dead and three others wounded.
According to Police Colonel Javier Chango, seven victims died instantly at the scene, while another succumbed to injuries at a nearby hospital. The shooting took place shortly after midnight in Santa Lucía, a community of about 38,000 residents in Guayas Province, one of the regions currently under a two-month state of emergency declared by President Daniel Noboa to curb spiralling gang violence.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as a group of armed men—some arriving on motorcycles, others in vehicles—opened fire on people gathered outside the club. The sudden hail of bullets sent bystanders diving for cover. Police have not yet confirmed the motive, but initial suspicions point toward the turf wars between organised criminal groups that have gripped much of Ecuador’s coastal region.
Among the dead was Jorge Luis Urquizo Ferruzola, a nightclub owner and half-brother of Santa Lucía’s mayor. Local authorities stressed that Urquizo had no criminal record, calling his death a tragic reminder of how violence is increasingly ensnaring innocent citizens.
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The shooting comes amid a surge of violence linked to drug trafficking networks competing for control of routes along the Pacific coast. Over the past two years, Ecuador has experienced unprecedented bloodshed: nearly 8,000 killings in 2023, more than 7,000 in 2024, and over 4,600 recorded in the first half of 2025. Many incidents have been concentrated in Guayas and other port provinces, which serve as key gateways for cocaine shipments bound for international markets.
President Noboa’s state of emergency includes heightened military and police presence, curfews in select districts, and intensified anti-gang operations. Yet, despite these measures, brazen attacks like Sunday’s underscore the deep challenge facing security forces.
In Santa Lucía, grief was palpable. Outside the nightclub, mourners lit candles and laid flowers in memory of the victims. Residents spoke of fear but also a desire for unity. “We can’t live in hiding forever,” one shopkeeper said. “We want peace to return to our streets.”
