A Chicago teenager is in a coma and three of his family members are dead after the group was shot at while vacationing in Mexico last week, according to the U.S. State Department and local reports.
Without naming the victims, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY Thursday that two U.S. citizens were killed and a minor was injured in the north-central Mexican state of Durango.
The 14-year-old has been identified as Jason Peña, according to nonprofit organizer Julie Contreras, who is working closely with his family. The teen has been taken from Mexico to a U.S. hospital for life-saving care, Contreras said in a statement to USA TODAY Thursday evening.
On Friday, the teen was in Durango with his father, 38-year-old Vicente Peña Jr., his uncle, 44-year-old Antonio “Tony” Fernandez and another family member who lives in Mexico, 22-year-old Jorge Eduardo Vargas Aguirre. All three men died in the shooting, according to local media.
The family had traveled there to celebrate the teen’s birthday, reported television stations WMAQ-TV and WLS-TV. The 14-year-old has been placed in a medically-induced coma.
Citing local authorities, WMAQ-TV said the family was in an SUV with Illinois license plates when someone attacked the group. It was not immediately clear Thursday morning what motivated the attack.
Durango officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. State Department said it has been in touch with the victims’ families and Mexican authorities are conducting an investigation.
“When a U.S. citizen dies abroad, the Department provides consular assistance to the legal representative, next-of-kin, and family,” the agency said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Depending on the situation, this can include contacting and informing the next-of-kin of the death, (or) providing information on options for local burial or the return of the remains to the United States.”
The department also helps prepare a Consular Report of Death of a U.S. citizen abroad, the agency said.