A 54-year-old expat from England was shot dead Saturday on a highway near Cancún as he drove his red Audi on a highway with his teenage daughter.
The suspects fled the scene on a motorcycle but were later captured by police.
The gunmen had followed Chris Cleave, a Cornwall real estate agent who had been a permanent resident in Mexico for nearly a decade, after he left his home that morning, according to media reports. His daughter suffered minor injuries.
“This was not a random shooting, but a targeted attack,” police told the Daily Mail.
No motive was offered for the deadly attack, but an ominous message recently sent to owners of a local upscale restaurant pointed to trouble.
“We are coming for you,” said the letter, apparently from a gang that allegedly sought to sell drugs at the restaurant. The note ended with, “Also for you Chris, with the red Audi,” referring to the car in which the victim was gunned down.
Three days before the shooting, Cleave had posted images on Facebook to celebrate his daughter’s 14th birthday.
The Mexican government deployed National Guard troops to Quintana Roo late last year after a spike in violence linked to organized crime.
Authorities do not believe that Cleave was involved with the drug trade and offered no motive for the attack.