Second pool hall shooting in less than a month kills 7 people Ecuador

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QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A shooting by a criminal gang at a pool hall in northern Ecuador killed at least seven people and four others wounded, police said on Saturday.

It was the second such attack in less than a month in the same city during a wave of violence in the Andean country.

The shooting occurred late Friday in the city of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, located 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of the capital, Quito, according to the local police commander, Col. Olga Benavides, who attributed the attack to a “territorial dispute” between criminal gangs.

On Aug. 17, seven people were killed during a similar attack that also occurred at a pool hall in the same city.

One of those killed and two of the wounded in Friday's shooting had criminal records for drug trafficking, criminal association, murder and theft, according to a police report.

Images shared by local media show several men dressed in black, wearing vests and caps, arriving at the location and opening fire on people who immediately fell to the ground.

The vehicle allegedly used by the attackers was found burned in another part of the city, Benavides said.

Ecuador has been facing a wave of violence over the past four years, because of the expansion of operations by organized crime groups linked primarily to Mexican and Colombian drug cartels, according to authorities.

President Daniel Noboa declared the country to be in a state of internal armed conflict and designated 22 criminal organizations “terrorist” groups in January 2024.

But the violence has continued. More than 5,500 homicides were recorded in the Andean nation between January and July, more than the 3,697 that occurred during the same period in 2024, according to official figures.