Horrific video shows the moment armed men disguised as police officers stormed a soccer pitch in Ecuador and murdered three people, believed to be members of a rival gang.
Security footage from a gated community outside the port city of Guayaquil earlier this month shows several gunmen dressed like law enforcement opening fire at a soccer field while several men were kicking a ball around, forcing them to the ground.
One man was left to die in the center of the field as the shooters and other players fled, video shows. Two other bodies were found in areas surrounding the sports complex, according to Newsflash.
The attackers reportedly beat the community’s security guards, tied them up and stole their weapons, according to Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo.
One of the victims was identified as Stalin Rolando Olivero Vargas, 40, who went by the alias “Marino” and was the leader of the local organized crime Los Lagartos and may have been targeted by a rival gang, according to Interior Minister John Reimberg.
The other two victims — Jefferson Xavier Salon Olivero, 33, Richard Josue Mina Vergara, 29 — each had extensive criminal records including charges of international drug trafficking, murder and robbery.
Vargas had been considering leaving Los Lagartos and joining up with another crime organization, Los Lobos, according to Reimberg.
Police had been tracking Vargas’ crimes for some time, and just weeks before the deadly Jan. 7 shooting, authorities searched a nearby residential area looking for the criminal.
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He has also been identified as the romantic partner of Micaela Morales Arcos, daughter of the former prefect of Guayas province, Carlos Luis Morales, according to local outlet Ecuadorchequea.
No arrests have been made and the shooting remains under investigation, officials said.
