Ecuadorian police confirmed on Wednesday that Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old defender for Barcelona de Guayaquil, was shot dead in an apparent targeted attack, reports Idman.Biz, as violence continues to escalate in the Andean nation.
Another person was also killed in the incident, while a third individual sustained injuries. Authorities have not released the identities of the other victims.
Ecuador’s Interior Ministry confirmed Pineida’s death without providing further details. In an official statement, Barcelona de Guayaquil said the club and its supporters are deeply saddened by the tragic loss.
Pineida began his professional career with Independiente del Valle, playing for the club between 2010 and 2015. He joined Barcelona de Guayaquil in 2016, where he won two Ecuadorian league titles. The defender also spent a brief period with Brazil’s Fluminense in 2022.
Local media reported that the incident occurred in the Samanes district in northern Guayaquil, approximately 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito.
Ecuador is expected to record its most violent year on record, with more than 9,000 homicides projected, according to the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime. The country registered 7,063 violent deaths in 2024, following a then-record 8,248 killings in 2023.
