A California a couple was shot and killed while on vacation in Mexicoauthorities confirmed.
The couple, identified by the Michoacán state attorney general’s office only as Gloria A., 50, and Rafael K., 53, were shot dead in the western state of Michoacán shortly before midnight Wednesday night.
The couple were traveling in a pick-up truck in Angamakutiro Municipality when they were shot. The woman died on the spotreports Reuters, while the man died in hospital a short time later.
It was not immediately clear why or if the couple was specifically targeted.
State prosecutors told Reuters that the woman, who has been granted US citizenship, and the man, who was born in the US to Mexican parents, have family and a home in Angamacutiro.
Magdalena Guzman, a spokeswoman for the Michoacán prosecutor’s office, told the New York Times that the couple arrived in Mexico late last month to spend the holidays with family.
Get daily national news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
According to the publication, authorities learned of the attack after security officers found their bullet-riddled vehicle on Angamacutiro Street.
Prosecutors said the couple’s license plate was registered without a number in the Lázaro Cárdenas neighborhood. Investigators were collecting ballistics evidence from the scene for analysis.
The killing is seen as a step back in the Mexican government’s pledge to curb organized crime in several regions.
mexican president Claudia Sheinbaumwho took office in October, vowed to replicate nationally the success he had as mayor of Mexico City in reducing the number of murders in the sprawling capital.
But her first two months in office have been marked by an outbreak of cartel violence in several hotspots.
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
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
#California #couple #shot #Mexico #holiday #vacation #National
