Ecuador's youngest mayor found shot to death alongside advisor

San Vicente, Ecuador Mayor Brigitte Garcia, 27, was found shot to death early on March 24, 2024.

Ecuador's youngest mayor, Brigitte Garcia, and an advisor were tragically found shot dead in a car early on Sunday, as confirmed by police in the country, which is currently grappling with a surge in violence attributed to drug trafficking.

National police have initiated an investigation into the deaths of Garcia, aged 27 and serving as the mayor of San Vicente, and Jairo Loor, following the discovery of their bodies in the province of Manabi. Both individuals sustained gunshot wounds, as stated in a police report.

Garcia was affiliated with the Citizen Revolution party led by former President Rafael Correa. Correa, along with the party's presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez, condemned Garcia's killing as an assassination through social media platform X.

"I've just learned about the assassination of our colleague Mayor Brigitte Garcia from San Vicente," Gonzalez expressed in a post. "I am speechless, in shock; nobody in Ecuador is safe, NOBODY."

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa gestures at a ceremony to deliver equipment to the National Police, amid the ongoing wave of violence around the nation, in Quito, Ecuador, January 22, 2024.

Garcia's tragic death adds to a string of political figures killed in Ecuador, including the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last August. Villavicencio, known for his outspoken stance against corruption and organized crime, was fatally shot while leaving a campaign event just weeks before the election.

President Daniel Noboa responded to the escalating violence by declaring a state of emergency in January. The nation witnessed armed individuals invading a TV station during a live broadcast, prompting Noboa to label 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations in an effort to address the escalating security concerns.