U.S. citizen, 52, is beaten and shot three times after armed men ambushed him and his family on a remote road in Mexico
- Jose Luis Guiterrez, 52, was severely beaten and shot in the abdomen and leg during the violent ambush in the state of Zacatecas on Monday
- Guiterrez, who lives in Chicago where he works as a landscaper, was en route to the nearby state of Jalisco to spend Christmas with relatives
- He was driving with his 19-year-old daughter Sofia and 81-year-old father Jose de Jesus Gutierrez when they were attacked by about five or six men in an SUV
- Mexican authorities later found Guiterrez in the middle of the road
A U.S. citizen has been gravely injured after being shot three times and left for dead after armed men ambushed him and his family on a remote road in Mexico.
Jose Luis Guiterrez, 52, was severely beaten and shot in the abdomen and leg during the violent ambush in the state of Zacatecas on Monday.
Guiterrez, who lives in Chicago where he works as a landscaper, was en route to the nearby state of Jalisco to spend Christmas with relatives.
He was driving with his 19-year-old daughter Sofia and 81-year-old father Jose de Jesus Gutierrez when they were attacked by about five or six men in an SUV.
Jose Luis Guiterrez, 52, was severely beaten and shot in the abdomen and leg during the violent ambush in the state of Zacatecas on Monday. Mexican authorities later found Guiterrez in the middle of the road (above)
Guiterrez, who lives in Chicago where he works as a landscaper, was en route to the nearby state of Jalisco to spend Christmas with relatives
His family say Guiterrez was driving slowly because he was getting tired when the SUV with the group of assailants cut them off and cornered them.
They opened the doors and started hitting Guiterrez’s daughter and father.
He was attacked when he tried to protect his family.
The assailants dragged him from the car and drove off with him in their SUV – abandoning his daughter and father.
Guiterrez was then shot and beaten before being left for dead on a remote road.
All of their possessions, including their American passports, were stolen in the ambush.
Mexican authorities later found Guiterrez in the middle of the road.
He was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment and he remains there under police protection.
He was driving with his 19-year-old daughter Sofia and 81-year-old father Jose de Jesus Gutierrez when they were attacked by about five or six men in an SUV
Mexican authorities later found Guiterrez in the middle of the road. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment and he remains there under police protection
‘They fear that they (whoever shot him) will want to finish the job,’ his wife, Alejandra Gomez-Gutierrez, told the Chicago Daily Herald.
Guiterrez’s wife did not travel to Mexico and is still at their home in Chicago with their other two adult children.
‘I wanted to travel to see him but the Mexican authorities said that wasn’t a good idea, that they would have had one more problem in taking care of me,’ she said.
‘This is very difficult.’
Guiterrez’s daughter and father didn’t suffer any serious injuries in the ambush.
‘My daughter had a nervous shock, she got really scared. And my father-in-law is older,’ Alejandra said.
‘I am worried about the three of them.’
His family are working with authorities to get Guiterrez back to the U.S. as soon as he is able to travel.
‘I am sad and my kids are also sad. I hope this gets resolved and we find the best way to bring him here,’ she said.
‘It’s something very painful, especially at this time.’
His wife Alejandra Gomez-Gutierrez, who did not travel to Mexico and is still at their home in Chicago, said the family are working with authorities to get Guiterrez back to the U.S. as soon as he is able to travel