It is known that the protected witness was in Quito in the morning, where he had to testify at a preparatory hearing for the trial that was not held.
The shots against Gabriel Z. and Emilio B., perpetrated by a man who got off a motorcycle and walked to the table where they were eating, in the center of Manta, were intended to end the life of a protected witness of the Prosecutor’s Office in the case investigating the murder of Harrison Salcedo, who was a lawyer for the late leader of Los Choneros, Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias JL, and former Vice President of the Republic Jorge Glas.
It was around 8:00 p.m. on Thursday when the bullets killed Gabriel, who has no criminal record, and wounded Emilio, a protected witness with an extensive record, whose prognosis is reserved, according to Pablo Ramírez, commander of Zone 4 Police.
It is known that Emilio B. was in Quito in the morning, where he had to testify at a preparatory hearing for the trial, that he was suspended due to the change of lawyer in one of the three arrested by the hitman against Salcedo, which occurred on April 28. in the capital.
According to the records of the judicial system, the protected witness is also investigated for an alleged illicit association in which the Prosecutor’s Office linked Salcedo and his then client alias JL, murdered in December 2020 in a shopping center in Manta shortly after that the aforementioned lawyer had obtained his release, investigated on suspicion of corruption in the justice system.
Emilio B.’s judicial past records his arrest, in 2011, for the death of the American Max Chamberlain, which occurred two years earlier in Manta. For this fact, he was sentenced in the first instance to 20 years in prison, but in 2015 he was released when he was declared innocent.
In a video that went viral on networks, it is observed how Emilio B. was taken from the inside of the food sales premises with several injuries on his body and transferred to a clinic, where he remains in police custody.
The body of Gabriel Z., who does not register a history, was left inert in a corner of access to the food court. Police lifted about ten nine-millimeter casings from the crime scene, Ramírez confirmed.
For the moment, the agents are reviewing the security cameras in the sector where the double attack occurred, which claimed a life, but no possible suspects or arrests have been reported.
So far in 2021, in Manabí there have been 163 violent deaths, 42 more than in 2020, of which 55% have already been resolved, according to the Police. (I)
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