Ecuadorian footballer Jonathan González shot dead in Esmeraldas

Ecuadorian footballer Jonathan González was killed on Friday, becoming the third player in the country to lose his life to violence this month, police have confirmed, Sport360NG reports.

The 31-year-old winger, widely known by his nickname “Speedy” González, was attacked inside a residence in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, near the Colombian border. Authorities said he sustained fatal gunshot wounds during the incident.

Another individual, whose identity has not been released, was also shot and died while being transported to hospital. Police have not provided details on a possible motive for the crime.

Ecuador has in recent years become a hub for drug trafficking, sandwiched between major cocaine producers Colombia and Peru. The influx of criminal gangs has coincided with soaring levels of violence, with the homicide rate climbing from six per 100,000 people in 2018 to a record 47 in 2023, before easing slightly to 38 last year.

The murder of González follows two recent killings in the football community. On September 10, Exapromo Costa FC players Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yépez were shot during an attack in Manta, a city on the country’s southwestern coast. Valencia died immediately, while Yépez succumbed to his injuries two days later. The club later stated the footballers were not the intended targets.

González most recently represented second-division side 22 de Julio FC. Earlier in his career, he featured for Olimpia in Paraguay and León in Mexico.

The Ecuadorian Football Federation, along with several domestic clubs, expressed condolences to his family in the wake of his death.