Gunman opens fire outside Tijuana funeral home

An AK-47-wielding gunman opened fire outside a Tijuana funeral home minutes before midnight on Tuesday, August 25, killing two and injuring seven others.

Mourners had gathered at La Esperanza funeral home on Avenida Negrete at Boulevard Agua Caliente near downtown to say goodbye to two brothers who had been executed last week at a tire shop in Colonia Independencia. The men being mourned had been shot dead with a .45-caliber handgun at around 9:40 p.m. on August 19.

According to multiple press accounts, all of the shootings have been linked by investigators to a motorcycle club called the Hooligans, which reputedly is involved in low-level drug trafficking and the theft of motorcycles in the U.S. Authorities said the gang is apparently involved in an internal battle for control, leading to the multiple shootings.

The scene on the sidewalk outside the funeral home on Tuesday morning was described by newspapers as one of panic and confusion, with victims screaming for help and as many as 50 officers from multiple law-enforcement agencies converging on the site. It took ambulances up to 30 minutes to arrive, even though a Red Cross station is just a few blocks away, according to press accounts.

Killed in the shooting was David Roberto Aguilar Campa, 25, who was shot in the stomach, according to El Sol de Tijuana. The second man killed outside the funeral home, also 25, has yet to be identified. He was shot in the back, the newspaper reported.

Among the seven people wounded in the shooting were two minors, El Mexicano reported, but no other details were provided.

Police said the funeral home was riddled with bullets and that around 25 spent cartridges from the AK-47 were discovered on the ground where the shooter opened fire.

Despite the massive police presence at the scene, officers were unable to capture those responsible for the attack. Witnesses said a gray sports car pulled up, a man got out, and, without uttering a word, opened fire. He then jumped back into the car, which sped away toward Boulevard Fundadores.