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Champion sprinter Alex Quiñónez of Ecuador was fatally shot in Guayanquil, police announced Saturday. He was 32.
Quiñónez and another man were killed in the northwest part of the city on Friday night around 9:20 p.m.,El Universoreported. According to the newspaper, the assailants were allegedly dressed similarly to law enforcement, arrived in a vehicle, and fired the fatal shots, police say.
“It is with deep pain that we confirm that our athlete Alex Quiñónez was murdered in the city of Guayaquil,” Ecuador’s Ministry of Sports confirmed in a statement shared toTwitterSaturday. “Father, husband, son and the best sprinter in the history of our country.”
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In July, the runner was suspended ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics amid anti-doping whereabouts failures, perReuters.
Commenting on the news of his death, Ecuadorean president Guillermo Lasso said in astatementthat the tragedy “will not go unpunished” and that authorities “will act forcefully” in seeking justice for Quiñónez.
Last week, Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency in Ecuador due to a rise in crime related to drug trafficking,Reutersreported.
source: people.com
