The cyclist shot by the driver of a black SUV died Monday in Merida’s Agustín O’Horán hospital.
The victim, Pablo G.L., was a 42-year-old chef and father of two young children who had just opened a new restaurant in Mérida’s Santiago neighborhood.
Witnesses say that the cyclist and driver of the black Chevrolet Blazer exchanged words for a few seconds before the latter discharged his weapon.
Initial reports had stated that the victim’s condition was stable, but apparently, the damage had been worse than initially believed.
The gunman was detained earlier last week and reportedly under police custody.
The rare downtown shooting took place on Calle 68 between 71 and 73 in the San Sebastian neighborhood, near the victim’s home.
According to the victim’s family, he and the shooter did not know each other or share any kind of relationship or affiliation.
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The shooting was caught on surveillance cameras and is likely to be used as evidence in the criminal case which is now being treated as a homicide.
Several media sources are reporting that the shooter, nicknamed “El Gringo,” is originally from the state of Chiapas and also holds U.S. citizenship.
The name of the suspect has not yet been made public, but police have stated that he has connections with organized crime and the drug trade.
On the topic of the shooter’s identity, local media outlets and commenters on social media have made much of the fact that the man is not a native Yucateco. It illustrates a growing sense of xenophobia among certain sectors of Yucatán’s population. Local media’s willingness to feed into this instinct is also on display.
“Every time something bad happens here, yucatecos start pointing fingers and looking for a scapegoat from elsewhere,” Said on Facebook Emanuel Castellanos, who moved to Mérida from Veracruz three years ago.
