Guayaquil food vendor murdered at Chongón tourist stop

Norma Alexandra Salazar Ramos, a 44-year-old food business owner, was shot and killed on the morning of Thursday, August 20, at a tourist stop in the Chongón area of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The attack occurred around 05:30 near the kilometer 24.5 mark of the Vía a la Costa, shortly after the victim arrived at her establishment with a relative.

According to preliminary reports, armed individuals intercepted Salazar Ramos and fired at least five shots, causing her death at the scene. Investigators from the National Police and the National Directorate of Crimes Against Life (Dinased) have secured the area to collect ballistic evidence and conduct forensic examinations.

Authorities are investigating whether the murder is linked to extortion or 'vacunas' (protection money) targeting local merchants. This incident marks the second violent death at the Chongón tourist stop in less than a week, following the August 12 killing of a 33-year-old man in the same vicinity. The Ceibos district, where the crime occurred, has recorded 27 violent deaths since the beginning of the year.