Sergeant Patricio Ortiz dies following armed attack at Sergio Toral cooperative, Guayaquil
First Sergeant Patricio Ortiz died on 16 September after being shot in the head in northwest Guayaquil. He had 22 years of service with the National Police.
Tributes to Sergeant Ortiz, fallen in armed attack in Monte Sinaí
A chapel of rest was set up at the Cuartel Modelo in Guayaquil to receive the remains of First Sergeant Patricio Germán Ortiz Lucio, who died on 16 September after spending five days hospitalised. According to reporting from primicias.ec, the uniformed officer was shot in the head during an armed attack recorded on 11 September at the Sergio Toral cooperative, in the Monte Sinaí sector, in the northwest of the city.
The patrol car in which Ortiz was travelling was struck with multiple impacts to the windscreen. Following the attack, he was rushed to Monte Sinaí Hospital, where senior officials from the institution attended to accompany the medical care process.
Pablo Vinicio Dávila, Commander General of the National Police, was present at the reception of the remains and expressed solidarity with the agent's family. In statements to radio Vigía, Dávila highlighted the bravery of uniformed officers and their daily commitment to confronting criminal organisations.
"He fought for his life," Dávila said of the days that Sergeant Ortiz spent hospitalised, adding that the best doctors were made available to him in an attempt to save him. Despite these efforts, the uniformed officer died in the early hours of 16 September and was recognised by the commander as "a new police hero".
Ortiz Lucio had 22 years of service with the National Police and worked in the Nueva Prosperina District, considered one of the most conflictive areas of Guayaquil. He was originally from Caluma, in Bolívar province. His remains were handed over to his parents, who were present at the Cuartel Modelo.
The attack occurred one day after another officer was murdered in the canton of Rocafuerte, in Manabí province. In response to the escalation of violence, the Government declared a new state of exception and curfew in Guayas and Manabí provinces, where criminality and violent deaths persist.
Source: Google News EC — Guayaquil