Gunmen posing as police kill three in Ecuador attack
Assailants disguised as police officers stormed a football pitch in Ecuador and carried out a targeted attack that left three men dead, authorities confirmed.
The incident took place on the evening of January 7 at a football field inside a private residential and golf complex in Isla Mocolí, near Samborondón in Guayas province. Surveillance footage circulating locally shows a group of players on the pitch when armed men in police-style uniforms entered the area, News.Az reports, citing Daily Mail.
Players immediately dropped to the ground, realizing something was wrong. The attackers moved across the field using flashlights, identified specific targets, and carried out a rapid, coordinated assault before fleeing within minutes. Two additional victims were later found nearby, bringing the total death toll to three.
Local media reported that the attackers had first overpowered security guards at the complex, tied them up, and seized their weapons before entering the pitch. Investigators believe the attack was carefully planned and directed at specific individuals rather than random victims.
Ecuador’s Interior Minister, John Reimberg, described the incident as a targeted killing. He confirmed the victims had been invited to the football pitch and did not live in the residential estate. All three men had prior criminal records.
One of the victims was identified as Stalin Rolando Olivero Vargas, known by the alias “Marino.” Police believe he was a senior figure in a local organized crime group called Los Lagartos. Authorities suspect he may have been targeted following alleged contact with a rival gang, Los Lobos — a move interpreted as betrayal within criminal circles.
The other two victims were also known to law enforcement and had previous convictions linked to weapons offenses, homicide, and drug-related crimes. Investigators are now working to identify those who organized the attack and the individual who invited the victims to the location.
The killings add to growing concerns over escalating gang violence in Ecuador. Once considered one of South America’s safer countries, Ecuador has seen a sharp rise in organized crime activity in recent years, driven largely by its role in international drug trafficking routes.
Competition between criminal groups has fueled violent disputes, while repeated outbreaks of prison violence have highlighted the expanding power of gangs across the country. Authorities have launched multiple security operations nationwide, but targeted attacks such as this continue to underline the scale of the challenge facing law enforcement.
No arrests have yet been announced, and the investigation remains ongoing.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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