Two Americans killed in Tijuana; lived in Mexico for low cost of living
TIJUANA, Mexico - Two men killed by a gunman who opened fire while they waited in line to reach a Tijuana border crossing were U.S. citizens, a diplomat said Tuesday, and their San Diego employer described them as diligent workers who had moved to the Mexican border city so they could afford to live on the beach.
U.S. Consulate spokesman Joseph L. Crook said the men were waiting in line in their vehicle early Monday almost half a mile from the San Ysidro crossing, one of the world's busiest ports of entry.
"Our condolences go out to their families at this difficult time," the consulate said in a statement. "We are working closely with the Mexican authorities to ascertain all of the facts."
He did not release their names, saying officials were still trying to contact their families.
More than 34,000 people, including an increasing number of U.S. citizens, have been killed in Mexico's drug war but shootings of people waiting in line to cross into the United States are extremely rare.
Prosecutors in Baja California state quoted witnesses as saying a gunman approached the line and fired into the men's pickup truck, hitting the victims in the head, arms and body. Both victims were dead by the time authorities arrived.
The state attorney general's office said Tuesday that investigators had discounted drugs as a possible motive in the killings, and were looking into possible motives related to the victims' families or work.
Matt Pelot of San Diego-based West Coast Beverage Maintenance, confirmed the victims were his employees: Kevin Romero, 28, and Sergio Salcido, 25.
He said Romero's sister called him Monday morning to tell him they had been killed.
"She just said 'I just wanted to let you know that Sergio and Kevin were shot and killed this morning at the border,' and obviously I was taken aback," he said. "I was in shock, and I'm still in shock. These were good guys. Obviously no one deserves to die like this, but these were good guys."
The men, who were good friends and had worked for Pelot for more than a year, were crossing around 2:40 a.m. as they usually did to beat the long lines that form later in the morning when thousands cross to go to work or school on the U.S. side, Pelot said. They had moved to Tijuana because of the lower cost of living.
"Kevin Romero didn't even drink beer," Pelot said. "These guys weren't dealing drugs, that's for sure. If Sergio was your friend, he'd give you the shirt off his back. Kevin was the same. He was a real family oriented guy who couldn't wait to get home and take a walk on his beach with his son and dogs."
In the first six months of 2010, the latest State Department figures available, 49 Americans were victims of homicide in Mexico, up from 37 for the same period in 2009 and 19 in the first half of 2008.
Elsewhere, Mexican federal police have arrested another suspect in the attack that killed one U.S. immigration agent and wounded another on a highway in central Mexico nearly two months ago, authorities said Tuesday.
Federal police said the man, Jose Manuel Garcia Soto, alias "El Safado," or "The Crazy One," had confessed to participating in the Feb. 15 killing of Jaime Zapata and wounding of Victor Avila. Both men were agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Garcia Soto, 30, was arrested Saturday in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, where the attack took place, federal police said.
Two Americans killed in Tijuana; lived in Mexico for low cost of living
TIJUANA, Mexico - Two men killed by a gunman who opened fire while they waited in line to reach a Tijuana border crossing were U.S. citizens, a diplomat said Tuesday, and their San Diego employer described them as diligent workers who had moved to the Mexican border city so they could afford to live on the beach.
U.S. Consulate spokesman Joseph L. Crook said the men were waiting in line in their vehicle early Monday almost half a mile from the San Ysidro crossing, one of the world's busiest ports of entry.
"Our condolences go out to their families at this difficult time," the consulate said in a statement. "We are working closely with the Mexican authorities to ascertain all of the facts."
He did not release their names, saying officials were still trying to contact their families.
More than 34,000 people, including an increasing number of U.S. citizens, have been killed in Mexico's drug war but shootings of people waiting in line to cross into the United States are extremely rare.
Prosecutors in Baja California state quoted witnesses as saying a gunman approached the line and fired into the men's pickup truck, hitting the victims in the head, arms and body. Both victims were dead by the time authorities arrived.
The state attorney general's office said Tuesday that investigators had discounted drugs as a possible motive in the killings, and were looking into possible motives related to the victims' families or work.
Matt Pelot of San Diego-based West Coast Beverage Maintenance, confirmed the victims were his employees: Kevin Romero, 28, and Sergio Salcido, 25.
He said Romero's sister called him Monday morning to tell him they had been killed.
"She just said 'I just wanted to let you know that Sergio and Kevin were shot and killed this morning at the border,' and obviously I was taken aback," he said. "I was in shock, and I'm still in shock. These were good guys. Obviously no one deserves to die like this, but these were good guys."
The men, who were good friends and had worked for Pelot for more than a year, were crossing around 2:40 a.m. as they usually did to beat the long lines that form later in the morning when thousands cross to go to work or school on the U.S. side, Pelot said. They had moved to Tijuana because of the lower cost of living.
"Kevin Romero didn't even drink beer," Pelot said. "These guys weren't dealing drugs, that's for sure. If Sergio was your friend, he'd give you the shirt off his back. Kevin was the same. He was a real family oriented guy who couldn't wait to get home and take a walk on his beach with his son and dogs."
In the first six months of 2010, the latest State Department figures available, 49 Americans were victims of homicide in Mexico, up from 37 for the same period in 2009 and 19 in the first half of 2008.
Elsewhere, Mexican federal police have arrested another suspect in the attack that killed one U.S. immigration agent and wounded another on a highway in central Mexico nearly two months ago, authorities said Tuesday.
Federal police said the man, Jose Manuel Garcia Soto, alias "El Safado," or "The Crazy One," had confessed to participating in the Feb. 15 killing of Jaime Zapata and wounding of Victor Avila. Both men were agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Garcia Soto, 30, was arrested Saturday in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, where the attack took place, federal police said.
Two Americans killed in Tijuana; lived in Mexico for low cost of living
