[Vedderman]

Jipijapa, Ecuador.

A young man and a young woman were both shot dead yesterday on the road from Jipijapa to Chade.
Witnesses were rather vague about their reporting, saying only that armed men 'intercepted' the bike and fired several shots at close range. The male controlling the bike was shot in the torso and in the head, falling off the bike. The young woman was shot only once in the head, allegedly after the bike had already been dropped and she was struggling to rise.

Witnesses were not clear about the number of assailants or the caliber of weapons.

Reporters originally indicated that the pair were a couple, but once they were ID'd it was discovered that the young man was just a driver, using his motorcycle to give people rides for extra money to support his family. The young woman was simply getting a ride for Jipijapa to Chade and paid him to take her.

Police are unsure which of the two was the target or if it was just a particularly brutal and random robbery.