Overview

• Seven people died when hooded gunmen opened fire on a billiard hall in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas on August 17.
• Police discovered the victims with gunshot wounds and are studying social-media footage to identify the attackers.
• The incident is the latest in a string of mass shootings at public venues this month, following attacks on nightclubs and fishing boats.
• Ecuador logged 4,619 homicides between January and June 2025, a 47% rise over last year, figures that authorities tie to cartel-backed gang turf battles.
• President Daniel Noboa declared an internal armed conflict in January 2024, and military and police units remain deployed nationwide under a state of exception.