David Macías, 35, a regional leader of the powerful Ecuadorean criminal gang Los Choneros, was killed Sunday by assailants disguised as police officers. Macías is the brother of Adolfo Macías, also known as "El Fito," who is awaiting trial in the United States following his extradition from Ecuador last year.
Officials confirmed that Macías was killed in the early hours of Sunday in the town of Olón, on Ecuador's Pacific coast. Witnesses reported that men dressed as police entered the residence Macías had rented in an upscale neighborhood. The gunmen fled the scene following the attack, and no arrests have been made.
Los Choneros has been declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government and is implicated in Ecuador's surge in violence. David Macías had previously pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges of criminal conspiracy and was reportedly involved in recruiting gang members and asserting control within the prison system during his incarceration.
His killing marks another significant blow to Los Choneros, following the arrest of Adolfo Macías last year and the apprehension of another brother, Javier Macías, in neighboring Colombia last month. Gang leaders are frequently targeted by rival organizations or internal factions vying for control, a dynamic that has fueled violence in the region. Previously, a local gang leader was shot dead by two teenage gunmen leaving the international airport in Guayaquil, with the assailants concealing weapons within stuffed toys and flowers.