Prosecutor Probing TV Station Attack Shot Dead in Broad Daylight

The prosecutor investigating the storming of a TV station in Ecuador was shot dead in broad daylight in one of the South American country's most violent areas. César Suárez was in a vehicle heading to a court hearing in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, when he was ambushed and shot multiple times in an assassination-style attack Wednesday, the Guardian reports. In addition to the TC Television assault, Suárez had investigated other high-profile cases previously, NBC News reports; he focused on cases involving organized trans-national crime, such as drug trafficking and corruption in politics. Few details are being released about his slaying, but 13 people have so far been arrested in the TC Television case amid Ecuador's ongoing descent into violence.

"I will say this emphatically: Organized crime groups, criminals, terrorists will not stop our commitment to the Ecuadorian society," Attorney General Diana Salazar said. "We call on the forces of order to guarantee the security of those who are carrying out their duties." Suárez had reportedly questioned the 13 gunmen arrested so far in the TC Television case and was working to uncover who ordered the armed assault. Earlier in the week, he'd revealed to an Ecuadorian newspaper that he did not have police protection. (More Ecuador stories.)