The bodies of 27-year-old Mayor Garcia and her aide were discovered in Manabi province, both having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Police revealed that the shots were fired from within the rented car they were traveling in.

Mayor Garcia, a member of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Movement party led by former president Rafael Correa, becomes the latest political figure to fall victim to assassination in Ecuador.

The shocking incident follows the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last August, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime. Similarly, in July 2023, Mayor Agustin Intriago of Manta was murdered while inspecting a construction site.

Reacting to the devastating news, former President Correa and Luisa Gonzalez, the party's presidential candidate in recent elections, condemned Garcia's killing as an assassination on social media platforms.

"I've just found out they've assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente Brigitte Garcia," expressed Mr. Gonzalez on social media. "I have no words, in shock, nobody is safe in Ecuador NOBODY."

The tragic deaths of Mayor Garcia and her aide serve as stark reminders of the ongoing challenges facing Ecuador's political landscape and the urgent need for enhanced security measures to protect public officials and citizens alike.