Khaberni - A referee was fatally shot during a local soccer match in Ecuador, causing shock throughout the country.
The identity of the victim, referee Javier Ortega, aged 48, has been recognized.
The attack occurred in front of dozens of people who were watching a match in the town of Pasaje in the coastal province of El Oro, Ecuador on Sunday, according to local reports relayed by the British "Daily Mail".
Eye witnesses stated that several unidentified gunmen approached the referee during the match before they opened fire, and then the killers fled the scene.
Ortega, a well-known local referee who officiated amateur matches, was declared deceased at the scene despite the immediate arrival of emergency services.
The match was immediately canceled, as players and spectators scrambled for shelter, while local authorities later closed access to the area to allow criminal investigators to examine the scene.
The organizing club suspended future matches until further details of the incident became clear, meanwhile reports indicated that family members of the victim, who were present at the scene, are demanding a swift investigation.
Last month, the Ecuadorian government deployed over 75,000 police officers and soldiers in four of the country’s most violence-affected provinces, including El Oro Province where the incident occurred.
