Police arrest suspect in shooting of US Consulate official in Mexico
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 9, 2017
When his auto stops at a barrier, the attacker pulls out a gun and shoots a single bullet into windshield, apparently wounding the consular employee, and then runs away.
The man was captured by the special forces of the state of Jalisco, and handed over to federal prosecutors, according to a tweet from the state of Jalisco.
Authorities investigate the scene where an officer from the USA consulate was shot and wounded outside a mall in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Surveillance video released by the State Department shows the gunman following the consular into a nearby parking lot Friday evening.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of $20,000 for information that helps identify the shooter.
The US Embassy in Mexico also released images of the shooter, who was wearing a blue or purple shirt and dark sunglasses. "We are working closely with Mexican law enforcement in this matter".
The consular, whose identity has been withheld, was shot in the chest but is in stable condition. He was shown in a nearby coffee shop near the time of the shooting.
The city is the capital of Jalisco state, which is dominated by the hyper-violent Jalisco New Generation cartel.
United States officials have faced attacks in Mexico in the past.
In 2015, a powerful local cartel controlled roads, killed 25 police officers in a two-month period and shot down a military helicopter, according to a U.S. State Department report.
The man then appears to draw a weapon and fire at least one shot into the consulate employee's vehicle, before running away.
In 2010, a USA consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another employee were shot and killed in Juarez as they left a children's birthday party.
