American family shot on Mexico vacation in attack that left 3 dead, teen fighting for life: reports

A 14-year-old boy from Chicago is in a coma after he, his father and uncle were shot on a family vacation in Mexico, according to local reports and a fundraiser for the family.

Durango, Mexico, officials told NBC 5 Chicago that Vicente Peña Jr., 38, and Antonio “Tony” Fernandez, 44, both from Chicago, were killed in the shooting last week, along with Jorge Eduardo Vargas Aguirre, 22.

Pena, his son and Fernandez are U.S. citizens, and Vargas Aguirre is a local resident and relative of the other victims, the Durango Attorney General’s Office said, ABC News reported.

A fundraiser on SpotFund created by the 14-year-old’s mother says the teenager “traveled to Durango, Mexico with his father, brother and uncle to visit family and celebrate his 14th [birthday].”

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“[Two] days before my baby’s birthday they were victims of an attack… my son’s father, uncle and a cousin were shot to death and my son was the only survivor also shot on the head [isc],” the boy’s mother wrote on the SpotFund page. “He is in critical condition in ICU and on life support.”

The teenager’s mother is raising funds for her son’s medical needs and to transfer him back to the United States.

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The State Department confirmed the deaths of two U.S. citizens and the injury of a minor in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico, to Fox News Digital. The Department offered its condolences to the families of the victims. 

The State Department also confirmed that Mexican authorities are investigating the shooting. 

The victims’ bodies were found on Dec. 27 along the Francisco Zarco Highway in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango officials told NBC 5.

They had been traveling in an SUV with Illinois license plates when they were attacked in what officials described to NBC 5 as a surge in violent crime in Durango, according to the outlet. Other details about the attack were not immediately available.

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Durango-area police did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

The State Department has issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Mexico, meaning tourists should exercise increased caution when visiting the United States’ southern neighbor. The advisory says “[v]iolent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread and common in Mexico.”