Three people are confirmed dead, and one person was critically injured after an American family was gunned down while on vacation in Mexico.
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According to 5 Chicago, the deadly attack occurred this past weekend when the American family was in the north-central state of Durango.
The victims in the shooting were identified as Vicente Peña Jr., 38, Antonio “Tony” Fernandez, 44, and Jorge Eduardo Vargas Aguirre, 22. Peña Jr. and Fernandez were from Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.
The survivor, a 14-year-old boy, hasn’t been identified publicly. He was seriously injured in the attack and is currently in a medically-induced coma. One of the deceased was the teen’s father, and the other was an uncle.
Durango officials revealed that the victims’ bodies were discovered along the Francisco Zarco Highway in Santiago Papasquiaro. The group had been traveling in an SUV with Illinois license plates.
The area they were in has experienced a surge in violent crime. It’s become so dangerous that the U.S. State Department issued travel warnings for Durango. The agency also advised residents to “exercise increased caution due to” gang-related crime.
Details about what led to the deadly incident remain unknown.
“We want justice,” the teen’s aunt, Julissa Tecumulapa, told 5 Chicago. “It’s really unexpected to happen.”
“I feel very devastated because they wiped out my entire family,” Vicente Peña, the father of Vicente Peña Jr., added.
An American Couple Was Fatally Shot in Mexico Days Earlier
The American family attack came just days after a California couple was fatally shot in
Michoacán, Mexico.
As previously reported, the couple, identified as Rafael Cardona and Gloria Amrbiz, were found in their 2016 Ford Platinum pickup truck on Dec. 11. Amrbiz was pronounced dead at the scene, while Cardona succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.
The couple was visiting with family when they were fatally shot.
Although they were from California, the couple had a home in Angamacutiro. They also shared two minor children and an adult daughter. The children were not present at the time of the shooting.
Cardona’s brother-in-law is Hermes Arnulfo Pacheco Bribiesca, the mayor of Angamacutiro. He was sworn into office in October following the kidnapping and murder of his predecessor.
The United States Embassy in Mexico released a statement about the incident.
“We are aware of reports of the death of two U.S. citizens in Michoacán, Mexico,” the statement read. “We are working to gather more information and stand ready to provide consular assistance if needed.”
Law enforcement is investigating the fatal shooting.