A 14-year-old Chicago boy is in a coma along with his father and uncle after being shot in Mexico during a family vacation, according to local reports and a fundraiser for the family.
mexico, durango, officials told NBC 5 Chicago. Chicago residents Vicente Peña Jr., 38, and Antonio “Tony” Fernandez, 44, were killed in last week's shooting, along with Jorge Eduardo Vargas Aguirre, 22.
The Durango attorney general's office said Peña, her son and Fernandez are U.S. citizens, and Vargas Aguirre is a local resident and relative of the other victims, ABC News reported.
According to a SpotFund fundraiser set up by the 14-year-old's mother, the boy “travelled to Durango, Mexico with his father, brother, and uncle to visit family and celebrate his 14th birthday.” [birthday]”
“Two days before the baby's birthday, they fell victim to an attack…The boy's father, uncle and cousin were shot dead, and the only surviving son was also shot in the head.” [isc]” the boy's mother wrote on the Spot Fund page. “He is in critical condition and on life support in the ICU.”
The teenager's mother is raising funds for her son's medical needs and repatriation to the United States.
The victim's body was found on Dec. 27 along the Francisco Zarco Highway in Santiago Papaschiaro, Durango officials told NBC 5.
The suspects were traveling in an SUV with Illinois license plates when they were attacked, officials told NBC 5, which is seeing a spike in violent crime in Durango. Other details about the attack were not immediately available.
The State Department and Durango Regional Police did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The State Department has issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Mexico, meaning tourists should use increased caution when visiting the United States' southern neighbor.
The recommendation reads:[v]Violent crimes such as murder, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery are rampant and common in Mexico. ”
