A politician and his wife were shot dead in front of children at the circus.
Horror footage shows the moment the fatal shots were fired killing Cristhian Nieto and Nicole Burgos yesterday (3 Jun).
As the first bangs are heard, a man flinches and the person filming stops talking mid-sentence.
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Adults with children can be seen fleeing towards their parked cars as the man behind the camera cries out: “Ay, ay, ay, señores!”
The shooting was in Manta, southwest of the capital Quito, Ecuador.
According to local media, masked hitmen suddenly appeared in the venue as people went inside.
They opened fire as adults and children began taking their seats.
Nieto and Burgos were taken to local clinics, but medics were unable to revive them.
Colonel, Milton Fabary Montalvo of the police stated: “We have collected a total of 12 pieces of evidence from a long gun. This was a targeted attack.”
He confirmed the death of Nieto and then added: “Unfortunately, it is also confirmed that Mrs Nicole Burgos has died. She was shot in the head.”
The person livestreaming the event, identified as journalist, Josué Suárez, reportedly sustained injuries in the shooting.
A second person, a member of Nieto’s security team, was also reportedly wounded.
Nieto, 34, is described in reports as a substitute legislator from the Citizen Revolution Movement.
He was reportedly attending the belated Children’s Day event as an organiser.
He was well known for his foundation, called Fundación Cristhian Rescata, which helps homeless people and drug addicts.
He had millions of followers on social media, where he wrote: “I can’t change the world, but I’ll try to change one person’s world with God’s help.”
Burgos also had hundreds of thousands of social media followers, who knew her by the nickname Pipo.
The killers reportedly fled the scene in a vehicle, which they abandoned and set fire to in Montecristi.
The couple left behind two young children, as reported on NeedToKnow.
Several politicians have been killed amid Ecuador’s descent into gang violence since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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