A brutal attack on a pool hall in Santo Domingo late Saturday left seven people dead, marking the latest in a series of massacres fueling Ecuador’s escalating gang violence crisis.

The assault, carried out by masked gunmen, underscores the growing influence of organized crime in the once-peaceful nation.

According to national police, the attackers stormed the nightlife district establishment, located 150 kilometers west of Quito, and opened fire, killing seven people with gunshot wounds. Surveillance footage circulating online shows several armed men in black masks shooting two individuals at the entrance before entering the venue and firing indiscriminately. The assailants fled moments before police arrived.

Authorities are investigating the incident and pursuing suspects, with initial reports suggesting ties to organized crime groups vying for control in the region. The attack mirrors other recent killings, including a July massacre in General Villamil Playas, where nine were killed at another pool hall, and an April shooting at a cockfighting ring near Santo Domingo that claimed 12 lives.

Ecuador’s homicide rate has skyrocketed from 6 per 100,000 residents in 2018 to 38 per 100,000 in 2024, driven by drug cartels exploiting the country’s Pacific coast ports for cocaine trafficking to the U.S. and Europe. This year alone, over 4,051 homicides were recorded between January and May, making it the deadliest start to a year in recent history.

President Daniel Noboa’s government has responded with repeated states of emergency and aggressive security operations in violence-plagued provinces like Guayas, where 14 people were killed last weekend. Yet, the violence persists, with 17 civilians, including a child, massacred in coordinated attacks in El Empalme in late July.

Analysts warn that Ecuador’s descent into gang-driven chaos echoes patterns seen in Mexico and Central America, where cartels dominate communities and institutions. For residents of Santo Domingo, Saturday’s pool hall massacre is a grim reminder of the relentless toll of organized crime, leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable in the crossfire. (ILKHA)