Triple murder in Machala and bar explosion: police investigate possible link
Three men were shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles in southern Machala. Minutes earlier, an explosive device damaged a bar in the city's red-light district.
Motorcyclists kill three men in southern Machala as police investigate link to bomb attack
Three Ecuadorians who were drinking beer on Palmeras and 13th South streets, in southern Machala, were murdered on Sunday at approximately 19:30 by individuals who arrived on two motorcycles, according to extra.ec.
The victims were identified as Juan Benigno Salas Cantillo, 55 years old; Jhon Paúl Patiño Vara, 31; and Oswal Josué Calero Crespo, 27. Two of the bodies were found outside the shop where they had been drinking; the third fell in the middle of the road, about ten metres away, after attempting to flee from gunfire.
Colonel Willian Egas, chief of the El Oro Police Subzone, confirmed the facts: "Two motorcycles arrive with two individuals, who proceed to fire against these people." The perpetrators fled on the same motorcycles after the attack.
Following an alert from ECU-911, police units attended the scene and confirmed the three deaths. Forensic officers collected approximately 20 ballistic specimens from the scene and gathered security camera recordings from the surrounding area. "The investigative system is gathering camera footage to trace the information and determine the possible perpetrators of the event," the officer explained.
During initial investigations, police established that two of the three deceased had criminal records for various offences. Egas suggested that one hypothesis points to retaliation between organised criminal groups in El Oro province: "There is retaliation from organised criminal groups here, from El Oro province, and possibly this event is due to that."
Explosion in the red-light district, minutes earlier
The triple murder occurred a few minutes after a bomb attack against a bar located on Eloy Alfaro and Colón streets, in Machala's red-light district. According to initial investigations, two individuals who were travelling on a motorcycle arrived at the establishment; one of them got off, placed an explosive device on the exterior of the premises, and both then left.
The detonation caused damage to the business and destroyed the windows of a building situated opposite the bar. No injuries or deaths were reported from the explosion.
The temporal proximity between both incidents led police to investigate whether there is any link. "We are verifying whether they have any type of relationship, because they occurred at precisely the same time," Colonel Egas said.
Source: Google News EC — Crime