According to authorities, Ecuadorian soccer player Jonathan Gonzalez was murdered on Friday, making it the third athlete murder in the South American nation since the beginning of September.
According to authorities, the 31-year-old, also known as “Speedy” Gonzalez, was attacked inside a home in the Colombian bordering coastal department of Esmeraldas, which is rife with competing drug gangs, and sustained “gunshot wounds.”
The motive behind the crime was not disclosed by the police.
While being transported to the hospital, a second victim—who remained anonymous—died.
70% of the world’s cocaine supply now leaves Ecuador, which is tucked away between the two countries that manufacture the most of the narcotic, Colombia and Peru.
The homicide rate increased from six per 100,000 in 2018 to a record high of 47 in 2023 due to the inflow of gangs, but it dropped to 38 last year.
On September 10, Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yepez, two players for Exapromo Costa FC, a team in the second tier, were shot during an armed attack in the seaside city of Manta in the southwest.
Yepez passed away from his wounds two days after Valencia was shot and killed.
The players were the targets of an attack, according to the club.
Jonathan Gonzalez, who currently plays for 22 de Julio FC in the second level, has played for Leon in Mexico and Olimpia in Paraguay.
The football player’s family received condolences from the Ecuadorian Football Federation and nearby clubs.
