Family demands justice after Quebec man was shot dead in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

2020

The family of a Quebec man says it is in shock after learning the 27-year-old was shot to death in the Mexican beach town of Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast.

On Tuesday, Oaxaca state prosecutors said the body of Victor Masson was found in a car on Monday.

Masson is the second foreign tourist killed in the southern Mexican state in less than a week.

The victim’s family issued a statement confirming Masson’s death but declined to provide more information.

“Victor Masson’s family asks the press to respect its privacy, as it’s worried that the reporting of false information could hurt the investigation,” reads a statement from Annie Viau, the spokesperson for the family.

According to Radio-Canada, Masson is from Saguenay, a city located about 200 kilometers north of Quebec City.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Masson worked as a mortgage advisor at Laurentian Bank and studied at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Que.

Prosecutors did not provide any possible motive for the shooting.

The Mexican State of Oaxaca is located in southern Mexico along the Pacific Coast. (Open source)

Masson’s death comes just days after a man from Argentina was killed in a machete attack in another coastal town in Oaxaca.

Argentine tourist Benjamin Gamond was attacked Friday while in the hamlet of La Isla, at the mouth of the Laguna de Chacahua. Laguna de Chacahua is about 100 kilometers west of Puerto Escondido.

Gamond died on Monday in a Mexico City hospital, prosecutors from the state of Oaxaca said in a statement. They said Gamond’s alleged attacker, accused of assaulting two other Argentine tourists who survived, is being held on suspicion of homicide.

Oaxaca, known for its beaches, has lower crime rates than most states in Mexico. Elsewhere, in northern Mexico, two American citizens died after a group of four was kidnapped earlier this year.

In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said it is aware that a Canadian citizen had died in the country. It said it is in contact with local authorities, and consular services are being provided to the victim’s family. 

“Global Affairs Canada continues to recommend that Canadians exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico due to the high levels of criminal activity and kidnapping,” the statement reads.

Source: El Financiero

The Oaxaca Post