Thousands of Ecuadorians flee their homes as gang violence worsens

By Yury Garcia and Alexandra Valencia Reuters | Posted by TOE For one grandmother, it was when bullets began hitting the rooftops of her neighborhood that she decided she would have to leave the housing development where she had lived for nearly 20 years. A sharp rise in fighting between gang factions in Ecuador has prompted thousands ​of families to flee and abandon their homes to the gangs, who strip the houses for drug money or use them to hide kidnapping victims, according to residents and police. One of the areas ‌that has been the site of the heaviest bloodshed is the Nueva Prosperina district in the coastal city of Guayaquil, where fighting between factions of the Los Tiguerones gang last year killed 22 people. Among those who fled was a 66-year-old woman, who, like other residents of the district Reuters spoke to for this story, asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals from the gangs. Armed groups were targeting people indiscriminately, assuming that an...

Man charged in St. Louis double murder case nearly one year later

ST. LOUIS - A man accused in a St. Louis double murder case faces felony charges nearly one year later.

Prosecutors have charged Edd Johnson, 31, with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action in an investigation that dates back to June 21, 2022. Angela Kabugu, 27, and Nelson Hall Jr., 28, died after a shooting and car crash.

The incident unfolded in the 1300 block of Temple Place near Page Boulevard. Investigators say they found a black SUV that had hit a fire hydrant upon arrival. Two people inside the SUV, later identified as Kabugu and Hall, suffered from multiple gunshot wounds.

Police issued a warrant for Johnson's arrest on Tuesday, and he will be jailed without bond, per Missouri court records.



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