Yesterday, the prosecutor mentioned that he didn’t receive any protection despite his dangerous work.
Officials have confirmed that a prosecutor who was working on a case involving an attack on a TV station in Ecuador has been fatally shot.
The attorney general announced that César Suárez was killed by gunfire in the coastal city of Guayaquil, in the province of Guayas, on Wednesday. The motive behind Suárez’s murder is still unknown, and it is unclear if it has any connection to his investigation into the assault on the public TV channel TC.
The attack on the TV station occurred last week, when a group of armed men wearing masks stormed into the studio during a live transmission and held the staff at gunpoint.
The viewers witnessed the terrifying scene as the journalist Jose Luis Calderon begged the assailants to spare their lives, while the rest of the employees were forced to lie down or sit on the floor of the studio.
One of the cameramen was injured by a bullet in his leg, and another one suffered a broken arm, according to the news deputy director of TC.
According to local media, Suárez was driving near his office when he was shot. There is also some footage circulating on social media that shows a car with bullet holes in the window, but it has not been verified.
Suárez had told the newspaper El Universo in an interview the day before his death that he had not received any police protection, even though he had questioned the 13 suspects who were arrested after the TV station attack.
Suárez’s death is part of a wave of violence that has engulfed Ecuador, which has also witnessed the escape of two criminal leaders from prison, the hostage-taking of hundreds of prison guards, and several explosions in different cities. As a result, President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency for 60 days and instructed the military to “neutralise” 22 groups that he labelled as terrorist organisations.
Attorney General Diana Salazar expressed her grief and determination after Suárez’s death, saying: “It is impossible not to be broken by the death of a colleague in the fight against organised crime. We will remain firm in his name: for him, for the country, for justice.” “Thank you for your work, César. Rest in peace,” she posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
