US family shot on Mexico vacation in attack that leaves three dead, teenager in coma: reports
A 14-year-old Chicago boy is in a coma after he, his father and uncle were shot at family vacation in Mexico, according to local reports and fundraising for the family.
Durango, Mexico, officials said NBC 5 Chicago that Vicente Peña Jr., 38, and Antonio “Tony” Fernandez, 44, both of Chicago, were killed in a shooting last week, along with Jorge Eduardo Vargas Aguirre, 22.
Pena, his son and Fernandez are U.S. citizens, and Vargas Aguirre is a local resident and relative of the other victims, the Durango state attorney’s office said. ABC News reported.
A SpotFund fundraiser started by the 14-year-old’s mother says the teenager “traveled to Durango, Mexico with his father, brother and uncle to visit family and celebrate his 14th birthday. [birthday].”
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Vicente Peña Jr., his 14-year-old son and his brother, not pictured, were vacationing in Mexico over the holidays and for their son’s birthday. (Ana Cabral/SpotFund)
“Two days before my baby’s birthday, they were victims of attacks… My son’s father, uncle and cousin were shot dead, and my son was the only survivor also shot in the head [isc]”, the boy’s mother wrote on the SpotFund page. “He is in critical condition in intensive care and on life support.”
The teenager’s mother is raising funds for her son’s medical needs and transfer back to the United States.
The bodies of the victims were found on December 27 along the Francisco Zarco highway in Santiago Papasquiaro, Officials of Durango he told NBC 5.
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The victims’ bodies were found Dec. 27 along Francisco Zarco Highway in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango officials told NBC 5. (Facebook/ SSP Durango)
They were traveling in an SUV with Illinois license plates when they were attacked in what officials told NBC 5 was a wave violent crime in Durango, according to the outlet. Other details about the attack were not immediately available.
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The State Department has issued a Level 2 travel warning for Mexico, meaning tourists should be extra cautious when visiting the United States’ southern neighbor. (Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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State Department and Durango-area police did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The State Department has issued a Level 2 travel warning for Mexico, meaning tourists should be extra cautious when visiting the United States’ southern neighbor. The tip says “[v]violent crime – such as murder, Kidnapping, carjacking and robbery are widespread and commonplace in Mexico.”
