A California Couple was shot dead while on vacation Mexicothe authorities have confirmed.
The couple, identified by the Michoacan state attorney general’s office only as Gloria A., 50, and Rafael C., 53, were shot shortly before midnight Wednesday evening in the western state of Michoacan.
The couple had been traveling in a pickup truck in the municipality of Angamacutiro at the time of the shooting. The woman died at the scenereports Reuters, while the man died in hospital a short time later.
It was not immediately clear why or whether the couple was targeted.
Prosecutors told Reuters that the woman, who received U.S. citizenship, and the man, who was born in the U.S. to Mexican parents, had family and a home in Angamacutiro.
Magdalena Guzmán, press secretary for the Michoacán prosecutor’s office, told the New York Times that the couple arrived in Mexico late last month spend the holidays with the family.
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According to the outlet, authorities learned of the attack after security officers found their vehicle riddled with bullets on a road in Angamacutiro.
The prosecutor’s office said the couple’s license plate was registered without a number in the Lázaro Cárdenas neighborhood. Investigators collected ballistic evidence from the crime scene for analysis.
The killing is seen as a step backwards in the Mexican government’s promise to curb organized crime in several regions.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaumwho took office in October, has vowed to replicate nationwide the success she had as mayor of Mexico City in reducing the murder rate in the sprawling capital.
But her first two months in office were marked by an outbreak of antitrust violence in several hot spots.
The Canadian government is advising tourists to avoid non-essential travel to several states in Mexico – including Michoacán – due to high levels of violence and organized crime.
— With files from Reuters
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
