An Ecuadorian presidential candidate known for speaking out against cartels and corruption was shot dead on Wednesday during a political rally in the capital, amid a staggering wave of gang-led violence in the South American nation.

President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio and indicated that organized crime was behind his murder less than two weeks before the presidential elections on August 20.

Lasso stated in a statement: "I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished." Organized crime has gone too far, but it will feel the full weight of the law."

The Ecuadorian Attorney General's Office reported that one suspect died while in custody from injuries sustained in a shootout following the killing, and police arrested six suspects after raids in Quito.

In his last speech before his death, Villavicencio promised a loud crowd that he would uproot corruption and imprison the country's "thieves."

Before the shooting, Villavicencio said he had received multiple death threats, including from affiliates of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, one of many international organized crime groups now operating in Ecuador. He stated that his campaign posed a threat to such groups.

"I am here showing my face. I am not afraid of them," Villavicencio said in a statement, naming the detained crime boss José Adolfo Macias by his nickname "Fito."

Villavicencio was one of eight candidates, although not the front-runner. The 59-year-old politician was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement.

Supporter Ida Paez said Villavicencio's campaign gave her hope that the country could overcome gangs. At the rally, she said, "We were happy. Fernando even danced. His last words were, if anyone messes with the people, he messes with my family."

As drug traffickers began to use the country’s coastal ports, Ecuadorians have endured violence not seen in decades. Gunfire rings out in many major cities as rival gangs fight for control, and gangs are recruiting children. Just last month, the mayor of the coastal city of Manta was killed. On July 26, Lasso declared a state of emergency covering two provinces and the country's prison system in an attempt to halt the violence.

Former Vice President and candidate Otto Sonnenholzner said at a press conference following Wednesday's killing, "We are dying and drowning in a sea of tears; we do not deserve to live like this. We demand that you do something."

Videos from the rally on social media show Villavicencio leaving the event surrounded by guards. The video then shows the candidate getting into a white pickup truck before gunfire is heard, followed by screams and chaos around the truck. This sequence of events was confirmed to the Associated Press by Patricio Zuquilanda, Villavicencio's campaign advisor.

Lasso stated that the "killers" threw a grenade in the street to cover their escape, but it did not explode. He added that police later destroyed the grenade with a controlled detonation.

Zuquilanda said that the candidate had received at least three death threats before the shooting, which he reported to the authorities, leading to one arrest. He called for international authorities to take action against violence, attributing it to the rise in violence and drug trafficking.

"The Ecuadorian people are crying, and Ecuador is suffering fatal wounds; politics cannot lead to the death of any member of society."

Villavicencio was one of the country’s most vocal critics of corruption, especially during the presidency of Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017. He was also an independent journalist who investigated corruption in previous governments and later entered politics as an anti-corruption activist.

Villavicencio filed multiple legal complaints against senior members of Correa's government, including against the former president himself. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defamation due to his criticisms of Correa and fled to indigenous territory in Ecuador, later obtaining asylum in neighboring Peru.

Edison Romo, a former colonel in military intelligence, stated that Villavicencio's anti-corruption complaints made him "a threat to international criminal organizations."

Lasso, a former conservative banker, was elected in 2021 on a pro-business platform and has clashed from the start with the left-leaning majority coalition in the National Assembly.

Early elections were called after Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by decree in May in a bid to avoid being held accountable over allegations that he failed to intervene to end a faulty contract between the state oil company and a private tanker firm.

The Ecuadorian constitution includes a provision allowing the president to dissolve the assembly during political crises, but it then requires new elections for both the assembly and the presidency.

Diana Atamaint, head of the National Electoral Council, stated that the election date of August 20 was "unchangeable" due to constitutional and legal mandates, as well as electoral activities already approved by the council.

The country has faced a series of political upheavals in recent years; authorities said at least nine others were injured in the shooting on Wednesday, including officers and a congressional candidate, which they described as "terrorist activity."

The murder was met with protests by other candidates who demanded action, with presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez from the Citizen Revolution Party stating, "When one of us is touched, we are all touched."

Villavicencio was married and had five children.