A brazen killing took place on Friday night in Guadalajara, Mexico, as a Mexican security consultant and two fellow instructors were shot and killed in what appears to have been a cartel ambush at a restaurant.
César Guzman, a security consultant who had recently done contract work for the U.S. State Department, was dining with Carlos Amador, the former undersecretary of security for Hidalgo state, when unidentified gunmen attacked them at about 9:49 p.m. in San Pedro Tlaquepaque.
Guzman and Amador were killed in the attack, while a third instructor, Pablo Cajigal, the former secretary of security for Chihuahua state, is in critical condition.
The violence marks the latest in a series of brazen attacks in Jalisco, with Mexican social media influencer Valeria Márquez being shot dead during a live stream on TikTok last week and a politician being shot and killed while dining at a seafood restaurant in April.
Background
Guzman had recently completed a security and intelligence training course for police from Jalisco state and was working as a consultant for the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, according to Arturo Fontes, a retired FBI agent who worked with Guzman.
Fontes said he and Guzman had taught counter-drug classes to Mexican police officers over the past two years in Mexico City and Queretaro state.
U.S. Consulate Response
The U.S. consulate in Guadalajara released a statement expressing concern about the violence and condolences to the victims and their families but declined to provide further details about Guzman’s affiliation with the State Department due to security and privacy limitations.
“We are deeply concerned about any act of violence and express our condolences to the victims and their families,” the consulate said.
Investigation
The state prosecutor’s office is investigating the attack, which injured two men and two women in addition to the deaths.
Local news reports stated that the gunmen fled the scene in a red Nissan, and the authorities are still searching for suspects.
The violence has left many concerned about the safety of residents and visitors in Jalisco, and the investigation into the attack is ongoing.
Source: CBS News
