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Ecuador’s youngest mayor, Brigitte Garcia, and her adviser found shot to death inside car
Ecuador’s youngest mayor was found shot to death Sunday, police said, as the South American country approaches its third month of a state of emergency decreed by the government to crack down on soaring gang violence.
Brigitte Garcia, the 27-year-old mayor of coastal San Vicente, was found dead along with her adviser, the municipality’s communications director, Jairo Loor.
During the early hours of the morning “two people were identified inside a vehicle without vital signs, with gunshot wounds,” the Ecuadoran national police said on social media.
Later, it added that the shots “were not fired from the outside of the vehicle but from the inside.” Investigators are still analyzing the route taken by the car, which had been rented.
Luisa Gonzalez, the party’s presidential candidate in the recent elections, called Garcia’s killing an assassination.
“I’ve just found out they’ve assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente Brigitte Garcia,” Gonzalez said in a post.
twitter.com/melabrigitte
One of Garcia’s last posts on social media, where she touts herself as the nation’s youngest mayor, was about a new project to bring water to her municipality.
“Together, we’re building a brighter future for our community,” she wrote on Thursday.
In January, President Daniel Noboa imposed a state of emergency and declared the country in “a state of war” against gangs after a wave of violence following the prison escape of “Los Choneros” leader Adolfo “Fito” Macias.
That month, Noboa also gave orders to “neutralize” criminal gangs after gunmen stormed and opened fire in a TV studio and bandits threatened random executions of civilians and security forces.
Since then, the military has been deployed in the streets and taken control of the country’s prisons, where a string of gang riots in recent years has left some 460 people killed.
The government claims that its so-called “Phoenix Plan” has been successful at reducing the country’s soaring violence.
Security forces have carried out some 165,000 operations, made more than 12,000 arrests, killed 15 people considered “terrorists” and seized some 65 tons of drugs since January, according to official figures.
But several violent episodes were reported over the weekend, including the ambush of an army patrol in Sucumbios, a province on the Colombian border. One soldier was killed and three others wounded in the incident.
In the Andean city of Latacunga, a bomb threat prompted police to evacuate a stadium where a professional soccer championship game was being held.
After an inspection with the help of a trained dog, authorities found a suitcase in the parking lot of the stadium “containing five explosive charges,” which were detonated in a controlled manner, according to a police report.
The government said it would reinforce security controls following Garcia’s assassination.
Once considered a bastion of peace in Latin America, Ecuador has been plunged into crisis after years of expansion by transnational cartels that use its ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe.
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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