A Mexican security consultant who recently completed contract work for the US State Department was shot and killed in what appears to be a cartel ambush at a Guadalajara restaurant.
According to Arturo Fontes, a retired FBI agent who worked with Guzman, the brazen killing occurred Friday night after 9:00 p.m., while the man, César Guzman, was dining with two fellow instructors with whom he had just completed a security and intelligence training course for police officers from Jalisco state.
In a LinkedIn message, Fontes stated that he and Guzman have taught counter-drug classes to Mexican police officers for the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement in Mexico City and Queretaro over the last two years.
Fontes also reported that Carlos Amador, the former undersecretary of security for Hidalgo state, had been killed. A third instructor, Pablo Cajigal, the former secretary of security for Chihuahua state, is in critical condition.
Fontes wrote, “They were true heroes – some of the bravest individuals I have ever known,” adding that he had just celebrated Guzman’s 50th birthday a week ago.
According to local news reports, the men were eating at a taco joint when unidentified gunmen opened fire before fleeing in a red Nissan. According to the state prosecutor’s office, the attack, which occurred around 9:49 p.m. in San Pedro Tlaquepaque, injured two men and two women in addition to killing two.
According to a statement from the US consulate in Guadalajara, the men are not currently working for the diplomatic mission. It declined to provide additional information about their previous affiliation with the State Department, citing security and privacy concerns.
“We are deeply concerned about any act of violence and express our condolences to the victims and their families,” a consulate statement read.
The violence is the latest in a string of brazen attacks in Jalisco. Last week, a Mexican social media influencer was shot and killed while live streaming on TikTok in Jalisco. Valeria Márquez was shot in the head and chest while livestreaming and collapsed on camera, according to officials. She was also given a stuffed animal and a Starbucks coffee bag.
In April, a politician was shot and killed on Monday while eating at a seafood restaurant in Jalisco. Just days before, a mother and son were murdered in the same area while searching for missing relatives.
The state’s municipal police chief was murdered on April 15.