Third Ecuadorian Soccer Player Killed in September Violence
Ecuadorian footballer Jonathan “Speedy” Gonzalez was shot dead Friday, becoming the third soccer player killed in the country this month, police confirmed. The 31-year-old was attacked inside a house in Esmeraldas province, a coastal region bordering Colombia that has been gripped by turf wars between rival drug gangs. Police said Gonzalez sustained multiple gunshot wounds. A second, unidentified victim also died while being rushed to hospital. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attack. Wave of violence against players Gonzalez’s killing follows the September 10 attack in the coastal city of Manta, where Exapromo Costa FC players Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yepez were shot. Valencia died instantly, while Yepez succumbed to his injuries two days later. The club said the footballers were collateral victims of an attack aimed at another target. Ecuador’s security crisis Ecuador, wedged between the world’s […]