Teen with North Carolina ID shot and killed by police in Mexico, officials say
Alexander Martínez Gómez was visiting relatives in a small town in Mexico when he was mistaken for a criminal by a police officer and fatally shot in the head, according to The Associated Press.
Gómez, 16, who lived in North Carolina, was walking Tuesday night with eight other teenagers in Acatlan de Perez Figueroa when they were approached by law enforcement, AP reported.
Police confused Gómez’s group with criminals and not only opened fired on the teens, but ran over Gomez after he’d been shot, according to Telemundo Utah.
A 15-year-old friend of Gómez was also shot and transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, Telemundo reported.
Family members told WRAL.com that Gómez had been to a gas station with friends to get something to drink and the incident took place while the teens were on their way home. Gómez and his friends attempted to run after a car stopped them, not knowing it was the police.
In a video that WRAL said was posted to Twitter by a family member, a woman said the slain teen had dreams that were cut short.
“This isn’t fair,” she said repeatedly in the video.
The prosecutor for the state of Oaxaca said Wednesday in a Facebook post, that the teen was from the United States.
Gómez attended high school in Fuquay-Varina, N.C., southwest of Raliegh, WRAL reported, and dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player.
A change.org petition has been organized in the wake of Gómez’s death, calling for police in Mexico to be held accountable.
A State Department spokesperson reached out to McClatchy News and said that they are aware of reports of the death of a U.S. citizen in Acatlan de Perez Figueroa, Oaxaca, and offer condolences to the Gómez family.
The Oaxaca Attorney General’s Office said it has opened an investigation “into the murder of the minor,” according to Telemundo.
Gómez’s killing comes as protesters in the United States and elsewhere are demanding police reform following the May 25 death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died while in the custody of Minneapolis police.
In Mexico, protests have erupted since the death of Giovanni Lopez, a 30-year-old man who was allegedly beaten to death by police in Ixtlahuacan de los Membriollos, Jalisco in May, according to AP.
Three police officers were arrested for Lopez’s death, AP reported.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 5:46 PM.