MEXICO CITY — Mexican prosecutors said Saturday that they are searching for a gunman who opened fire on an official of the U.S. consulate in the western city of Guadalajara.
The Attorney General’s Office said Saturday the official was wounded in the attack Friday in Guadalajara. The city is the capital of Jalisco state, which is dominated by the hyper-violent Jalisco New Generation cartel. There was no immediate evidence of any cartel link to the attack.
Surveillance video of the attack shows the gunman following the official in a parking garage. The official, whose name was not released, was dressed in shorts.
The shooting appeared to be a direct attempt to kill the consular employee.
In the video, the attacker doesn’t appear to try to approach the official while he is walking, but instead waits for him to exit the parking garage in his vehicle and fires a round into the car’s windshield.
The consulate said on its Facebook page that the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information on the attacker.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said that for privacy reasons no further information would be made available on the victim, including his condition.
The Attorney General’s Office said the victim was in “stable” condition and under protection, apparently at a local hospital. The office said the case was being handled by federal detectives.
Send questions/comments to the editors.