A federal prosecutor in Mexico has been killed in a drive-by shooting that has shocked the nation after video footage of the attack circulated online.
The footage shows the prosecutor sitting on a road in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas state, shortly after his car has caught fire. A white vehicle then drives past and the sound of multiple gunshots rings out. The prosecutor falls to the ground and then lies motionless. It’s not clear what caused the fire.
The Mexican Attorney General’s Office has identified the killed man as Ernesto Cuitláhuac Vásquez Reyna, who worked in the state of Tamaulipas.
The scene in Reynosa. Portions of this image were obscured due to graphic content. – Social Media
It said the attack on Monday was still being investigated, but preliminary information suggested it may have been linked to organized crime gangs who had been recently targeted by authorities.
It pointed to the seizure by security forces of more than 1.8 million liters of stolen fuel in a bust last month as being among the main lines of investigation.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that her security cabinet was in touch with state and federal prosecutors to “do justice in this case.”
In a post on X, the Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal condemned the attack, expressed solidarity with the prosecutor’s family and offered to help the “the Attorney General’s Office and the Government of Mexico in the search for justice and the construction of peace.”
Reynosa is the most populated city in Tamaulipas with roughly 700,000 residents. It is located just across the Rio Grande from Hidalgo, Texas.
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