A journalist has been murdered by contract killers in Ecuador. The person in question is Gerardo Delgado from the digital media company “Ola Manta TV”. The tragic event occurred when Delgado was on his way to do a report. His daughter was with him when he was shot.
The assassination occurred on the road from Manta to Portoviejo, in the Las Paolas sector, on the Ecuadorian coast and four hundred kilometers from the capital Quito. According to the journalist’s daughter, her father had received a call informing him that there had been a suicide in the area.
To report the incident, Delgado and his daughter went to that location. It could have been an ambush. Delgado’s daughter, who was traveling in the same vehicle as her father, was not injured. The National Police announced that two people had been arrested.
One of the suspects, only 23 years old, says that he was ordered to kill the journalist and that he was given a photo of the victim. When asked why he had to kill the journalist, the man explained, “I have no idea; my client gave me US$2,000 to do it.”
In a video published on social networks, the journalist’s brother speaks in front of a group of people. In a troubled voice, Delgado’s brother thanked the public for the affection they showed the journalist, saying, “You all know who killed my brother, but you are all silent about it.”
Delgado’s daughter wrote a moving letter on social media, “I don’t understand why life is so unfair; I don’t understand how someone so good can have their life taken away in such a cruel way. Dad, you wanted to grow old, and I wanted to take care of you; you left me alone; you left me before your time,” the letter reads. The young woman said that her father was her best friend.
A week ago, it was announced that Delgado would run for a seat on the Manta City Council. His candidacy was supported by the Revolución Ciudadana movement, which sympathizes with former President Rafael Correa. Delgado reported on the needs of citizens and gained great popularity in his city.
Correa commented on Delgado’s death on his Twitter account, saying, “With this, two precandidates of the Citizen Revolution have been assassinated. A month ago in San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas, Comrade Jaime Estacio and now in Manta, Gerardo Delgado. It is frightening; it has never happened before. They have destroyed the homeland, democracy, and life”.
With information from Latina Press
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