Assassination of Fernando Villavicencio
| Assassination of Fernando Villavicencio | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Ecuadorian security crisis | |
Villavicencio in January 2023 | |
| Location | 0°10′09″S 78°29′02″W / 0.16917°S 78.48389°W Colegio Anderson, Quito, Ecuador |
| Date | 9 August 2023 6:20 p.m. ET (UTC−05:00) |
| Target | Fernando Villavicencio |
Attack type | Assassination |
| Weapons | 9mm pistol, .223 rifle, submachine guns, grenades |
| Deaths | 2 (Villavicencio and one suspect) |
| Injured | 9 |
| Perpetrators | Los Lobos (gang)
Planning: Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, Laura Castillo and three accomplices Material: Johan David Castillo López and six others |
| Motive | Contract killing; mastermind or motive unknown |
| Accused | 6 |
On 9 August 2023, eleven days before the 2023 Ecuadorian general election, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated after leaving a campaign rally in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. One assailant was killed during the attack. Several bystanders, including security personnel and a legislative candidate, were injured.
In November 2025, a prosecution witness stated that the murder was ordered by drug traficker Leandro Norero after journalist Christian Zurita supposedly solicited money from Norero to hide an investigation against him. According to the witness, Villevicencio continued publishing information about the case after the money was paid, so Norero ordered his killing.