Taxi driver shot dead by gunmen in an ambush in northern Quito, Ecuador

A taxi driver was killed in a shooting early Tuesday morning, September 29, 2026, in the Carcelén Bajo neighborhood in northern Quito, Ecuador.

According to reports, the attack took place around 7:00 a.m. on Luis Sánchez street. Armed suspects intercepted the victim, reportedly arriving in a pickup truck. They got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots at the driver.

The victim, approximately 38 years old, belonged to a taxi cooperative based in southern Quito. He was found inside his vehicle with several gunshot wounds. Firefighters and police responded to the scene.

Officers from the La Delicia police district are collecting evidence at the crime scene and reviewing surveillance camera footage in an effort to identify those responsible. The Metropolitan Transit Agency (AMT) temporarily closed one lane of Luis Sánchez street near the Carcelén Ecological Park due to the police operation.

This is the third violent death recorded in Quito in less than a week. On September 24, a security guard was shot in El Recreo. On September 27, another man was killed while checking his car on a road in Conocoto. All three incidents occurred in districts classified as high-risk: La Delicia, Eloy Alfaro, and Los Chillos.

These areas, along with Calderón and Quitumbe, have been prioritized due to the impact of drug trafficking and the prevalence of weapons, ammunition, and explosives. The government recently reinstated a state of exception in eight provinces, including Pichincha, and has deployed additional police and military personnel in the capital under a protection plan for Quito. Despite these measures, violent deaths continue in the city.