A presidential candidate in Ecuador has been shot and killed at campaign event

Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential candidate in Ecuador, was shot and killed at a rally in Quito. President Lasso promised justice and said organized crime had gone too far. Villavicencio was a critic of the former President Correa and had filed many complaints against high-ranking members.

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot and killed on August 9 by an unidentified gunman while at a political rally in the country's capital of Quito, President Guillermo Lasso said.

The killing comes amid a startling wave of violence in the South American nation, with drug trafficking and violent killings on the rise.

“I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” Mr. Lasso said in a statement. “Organized crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law.”

The politician, 59, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement. He was one of the most critical voices against corruption, especially during the government of former President Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017. He filed many judicial complaints against high ranking members of the Correa government.

He was married and is survived by five children.

Early accounts show that several others were injured from shrapnel, though authorities did not confirm how many.