Fernando Villavicencio Assassination Video Shows Moment of Fatal Shooting

A video circulating on social media shows the moment Ecuador's presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was fatally shot in Quito, the country's capital, only 10 days before the vote.

The footage shows Villavicencio leaving a campaign event in Quito surrounded by security guards. They move towards a car as the crowd shouts his name, claps, and cheers. But as he takes his seat inside the vehicle and the car door is closing behind him, shots are fired in his direction.

The clip shows people screaming, ducking around the car and trying to find cover.

Warning: The footage in the video below contains gun violence that might be disturbing.

Villacencio, a 59-year-old former journalist and former Assembly member, was one of eight candidates running for the country's top role on August 20, representing the Build Ecuador Movement. He was a prominent anti-corruption figure who had been outspoken about condemning the ties between crime and politics in the country.

As a journalist, he was a vocal critic of former President Rafael Correa, according to media reports, and was once accused of defamation against him. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the crime but fled to Ecuador's Indigenous territory in 2014 and was given asylum in Peru in 2017, according to Reuters.

Villavicencio was transported to a nearby clinic after being hit several times but did not survive the attack, according to media reports citing National Police General Manuel Iñiguez.

His death was confirmed by Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso. Just before 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Lasso posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, to say he was "outraged and shocked by the assassination." He added that the "crime will not go unpunished."

Villavicencio leaves behind his wife and five children.

A police shootout followed Villavicencio's assassination and one suspect died from the injuries sustained. Authorities said six people had been arrested.

At least nine people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers, were injured in the attack, Reuters reported.

Violent crime, especially gang-related violence, has become rampant in the South American nation, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The think tank added that the situation had been exacerbated by the country's political instability.

In his social media post, President Lasso appeared to blame Villavicencio's death on "organized crime," which he said "has come a long way, but the full weight of the law is going to fall on them."

Update 08/10/23 4:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add extra information.