An American couple was shot and killed while visiting the western Mexican state of Michoacan on Saturday, with officials confirming their nationalities.
According to state authorities, the couple died after being shot in their pickup truck. Investigations were underway, but authorities provided no immediate information about the identity of the attackers or their likely motive.
The deaths happened late Wednesday in Angamacutiro, Michoacan. Rafael Cardona and his wife, Gloria Ambriz, were identified as the victims by the municipal authorities.
It named Cardona as the mayor’s brother-in-law and announced that the town government’s official Christmas celebrations had been cancelled. According to local media, the couple was from Sacramento, California, and were visiting the town.
The hamlet shares a border with Guanajuato, the state with the highest homicide rate in Mexico. The violence is primarily the result of rival drug gangs fighting for control of the territory.
It comes after a TikTok singer and his wife were shot dead outside their home by a squad of armed men in a separate attack in the country.
Gordo Peruci, 37, was with his partner when the group approached them on the ranch in northwestern Mexico and opened fire. The father of four, whose true name is Leovardo Asipuro Soto, was struck many times and died on the scene. Brenda Félix, his wife, was brought to the hospital in severe condition and died from her injuries.
Police have opened an inquiry into the killings, which occurred about 10 p.m. on December 9 outside the couple’s house in Culiacán, northwestern Mexico. Authorities have yet to make any arrests in connection with the deaths.
Leovardo leaves behind four children and was best known for making humorous material for his one million TikTok followers and 470,000 Instagram followers. He also had a successful YouTube channel with 172,000 subscribers, where he did sketches and recounted funny stories.
