QUITO (Reuters) – The mayor of the Ecuadorian Pacific port city of Manta, Agustin Intriago, was assassinated on Sunday, authorities said, in a brazen attack that stunned the political establishment.
Police said the 38-year-old Intriago, who was re-elected as mayor of Manta in February, had been inspecting public works in the city at the time of the attack.
It was not immediately clear why the mayor had been attacked.
Interior Minister Juan Zapata said a woman had also died in the incident, and four other people were wounded. Two of them are suspects in the killing, he said on Twitter.
The municipal government of Manta said on its Twitter account that Intriago had been shot dead.
President Guillermo Lasso expressed his sorrow on Twitter and ordered authorities to bring the killers to justice.
Former President Rafael Correa expressed his shock on Twitter and said: “I can’t believe this has happened.”
In May, gunmen targeted the mayor of the city of Duran. He emerged unscathed from the attack, but a policeman was killed and several other people were wounded, media reported.
Intriago belonged to a local political party in Manta, a city of well over 200,000 inhabitants.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; editing by Diane Craft and Sonali Paul)
