Ecuadoran footballer Jonathan Gonzalez was shot dead on Friday, marking the third killing of a player in the country since early September, police confirmed.
The 31-year-old, known as “Speedy” Gonzalez, sustained multiple gunshot wounds during an attack inside a home in Esmeraldas, a coastal province bordering Colombia that has been gripped by violent drug gang rivalries. Authorities did not disclose a motive.
Another victim, whose identity was not revealed, also died while being rushed to hospital.
Ecuador, situated between Colombia and Peru — the world’s top cocaine producers — has increasingly become a key departure hub for drug trafficking. This surge in organised crime pushed the homicide rate from six per 100,000 people in 2018 to a record 47 in 2023, before falling slightly to 38 last year.
The tragedy follows the September 10 armed assault in Manta that claimed the lives of second-division players Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yepez of Exapromo Costa FC. The club later clarified the footballers were not the intended targets.
Gonzalez, who played for second-division side 22 de Julio FC, had previously featured for Olimpia in Paraguay and Leon in Mexico.
The Ecuadorian Football Federation and local clubs have since issued messages of condolence to his family.
