Fatal Night in Santo Domingo
A horrific attack rocked Ecuador on Sunday when seven individuals were gunned down when armed men invaded a bar and began firing. The attack went down at a pool hall in the Santo Domingo nightlife area, some 150 kilometers west of Quito. Police verified that the dead all suffered gunshot injuries as terrible video from the scene started making the rounds online.
The killings are the latest in a series of violent attacks in Ecuador as the nation grapples with containing rising gang activity tied to narcotics.
Pattern of Violence Across Ecuador
The shooting follows shortly after 17 individuals were killed in a bar in Guayas province, an attack the authorities attributed to turf wars between competing groups. Nine victims died just last week in Playas, a beach resort city, when attackers sprayed gunfire at a game of pool. The victims were not the intended targets but “collateral” victims, police later announced.
Such back-to-back attacks present a dark picture of how public areas, which were once dedicated to recreational purposes, are now becoming the top venues for vicious attacks in Ecuador’s mounting security crisis.
Drug Trade at the Center of the Dispute
The bloodshed has escalated since President Daniel Noboa initiated a crackdown on gang crime last year. Intended to re-impose order, the effort has resulted in more furious battles between gangs vying to control high-income drug routes. Authorities estimate that some 75 percent of the globe’s cocaine production flows through Ecuador, turning it into a criminal hotbed of rivalries.
Based on official statistics, Ecuador has logged 4,051 murders in the first five months of 2025 alone. At a homicide rate of 38 per 100,000 inhabitants, the nation is among the most violent in all of Latin America.
ALSO READ: Ecuador’s Homicide Rate Soars as Gang Warfare Spreads to Rural Towns
Communities Caught in Crossfire
Average Ecuadorians are being caught more and more in the middle. Pool halls, pubs, and public plazas have become battlefields, leaving families mourning and communities in fear. Even with stern security, the attacks reflect the persistent influence of the gangs and the challenge of taking back control.
As the death count climbs, there is increasing pressure on the government to come up with lasting solutions. To many, the issue is no longer if Ecuador can end the violence, but how quickly it can stop more innocent lives from being lost.
