Armed gunmen stormed a billiard hall in General Villamil Playas, Ecuador, on Saturday night, July 19, killing at least nine people who were playing pool. The attack occurred in a working-class neighborhood of the coastal tourist city in southern Guayas province.

The Ecuadorian prosecutor’s office confirmed through social media that “armed individuals entered the establishment and shot at those present.” Viral images circulated on social platforms showed nine bloodied bodies lying on the floor around several pool tables. Local media reports indicated the attackers were equipped with automatic rifles.

Police Colonel Jhanon Varela told the media that two people were injured in the attack and received treatment at a local hospital. Authorities managed to identify only one body at the scene, as many victims were removed by residents and family members before police arrived. Varela indicated that “it is presumed that there may be more victims.”

At the bar where the massacre occurred, relatives held two coffins Saturday night. An AFP reporter documented bullet holes visible on the pool tables. The police station in the area was subsequently guarded by members of special forces.

Guayas Prefect Marcela Aguinaga revealed that one of the victims was a coach at a provincial soccer school. Aguinaga wrote on social media that violence seeks to bring communities to their knees and silence them, but emphasized that officials would not stay silent or surrender.

The shooting occurred as Ecuador experiences its most violent start to a year in recent history. In the first five months of 2025, the country recorded 4,051 homicides according to official figures. Drug trafficking organizations have been multiplying throughout Ecuador, where the homicide rate increased from six per 100,000 residents in 2018 to 38 per 100,000 in 2024.

The violence continues despite the recapture in June of the country’s most wanted drug lord, Adolfo Macias, known by his alias Fito, after his escape from a maximum-security prison in 2024. The Ecuadorian government extradited Macias to the United States on Sunday, July 20, where he pleaded not guilty on Monday to a seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn. The charges include international cocaine distribution, conspiracy, and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the United States.

In the western province of Manabi, the stronghold of Fito and his gang Los Choneros, at least 20 people were killed in deadly violence across several cities, including Manta where Fito was recaptured. The United States classified Los Choneros as one of the most violent gangs last year and confirmed its connection to powerful Mexican drug cartels threatening Ecuador and the surrounding region.

Interior Minister John Reimberg announced increased security in Manta, with 2,500 police officers deployed at strategic points. Manta serves as one of Ecuador’s main fishing ports and has become a focal point of the ongoing violence.

Ecuador was once considered a bastion of peace in Latin America, but has been plunged into crisis after years of expansion by transnational cartels that use its ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe. The transformation has been dramatic, with the country now struggling with what experts describe as unrelenting gang violence, particularly in coastal provinces.

Earlier this year, authorities arrested a leader of Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s biggest crime syndicates, at his home in the coastal city of Portoviejo. Carlos D, known by his alias El Chino, served as second-in-command of Los Lobos and was considered a high-value target by the armed forces. The United States declared Los Lobos to be the largest drug trafficking organization in Ecuador last year.

The General Villamil Playas shooting represents the latest in a series of mass casualty events plaguing Ecuador as criminal organizations continue their territorial disputes and enforcement activities. Authorities are examining security camera footage and cell phone videos in an effort to identify the suspects responsible for the attack. The prosecutor’s office has launched a formal investigation into the killings and collected ballistic evidence from the scene.