Armed attacks in Guayaquil and Medellín kill and injure multiple victims

A series of armed assaults swept the southern district of Esteros in Guayaquil, Ecuador, between 19:57 and 23:00 on 24 July, leaving five dead and six injured. The attacks, carried out by gunmen on motorcycles, targeted a cooperative and a sports venue, killing a 16‑year‑old teenager and a 26‑year‑old man named Franklin Steven Tapia Carrillo, among others. Police linked the violence to several criminal gangs operating in the area, including Mafia 18 and Los Lagartos.

In Medellín, Colombia, a separate incident occurred in the Belalcázar neighbourhood of the north‑west district on the same night, where a gunfire attack resulted in one fatality, 30‑year‑old Santiago Monroy, and four others wounded. Investigators are probing a possible retaliation linked to the local criminal group known as Toscana. Both incidents underscore a wave of gun‑related crime in major Latin‑American cities.