Ex-police officer killed in Calceta, Manabí

Jhonny Javier Castillo Alcívar, a 47-year-old former police officer, was assassinated on the night of October 19, 2026, in Calceta, Manabí province. The victim was intercepted by individuals on two motorcycles while driving a white vehicle near the Plaza Cívica. The attackers fired more than 25 shots, leaving the vehicle severely damaged and killing Castillo Alcívar at the scene.

Castillo Alcívar worked as a driver and security provider for Jean Carlos Benavides Moreira, a former legislative advisor to ex-assemblyman Daniel Mendoza. Benavides Moreira has a history of legal issues, having been sentenced in 2021 to 18 months in prison for organized crime related to the Pedernales hospital construction case. Intelligence reports had previously linked Benavides Moreira to the criminal organization ‘Los Fatales,’ an armed group associated with the ‘Los Choneros’ gang.

Authorities are investigating the motive behind the ambush and working to identify the perpetrators. This incident marks the tenth violent death recorded in the Bolívar-Junín district in 2026.