Tulum, Q.R. — Authorities say the shooting death of Captain José Roberto Rodríguez Bautista, the Secretary of Security (SSC) of Tulum, was likely retaliatory. According to state officials, 98 criminal gang members have been jailed in recent months between Tulum and Playa del Carmen.
The Friday night ambush of Rodríguez Bautista outside his home in the La Veleta neighborhood is believed to have been in retaliation for those arrests.
On Monday, the State Attorney General Raciel López Salazar said seven gang members were involved in his Friday night death. On the night of the shooting, two gunmen were involved, one of which was killed, however, López Salazar says they believe a total of seven were involved in the revenge plot against the SSC head.
López Salazar reported the arrests of 98 members between three criminal groups operating in Tulum and Playa del Carmen is being factored into the investigation. He says they are also investigating retaliation for actions taken by the Secretary of Public Security himself in his fight against organized crime in previous work assignments.
Rodríguez Bautista was ambushed Friday evening as he returned home. He was with a body guard and a driver at the time. While getting out of the vehicle, Rodriguez Bautista was shot three times by an armed man waiting inside a parked vehicle outside his home.
His bodyguard, José Manuel was also hit by an armed man hiding in the bushes behind the parked truck. His driver, Juan Luis, repelled the attack, killing one of the gunmen. The gunman killed is the same person who fired the fatal shots at Rodríguez Bautista.
According to López Salazar, 31 spent shell casings were lifted from the scene of the Friday night attack. A backpack containing a magazine loaded with 26 .223 caliber rounds was also found nearby.
During the Monday press conference, the Commander of the Fifth Naval Region, Admiral Bernal Méndez, acknowledged the coordination between the Armed Forces, National Guard and state authorities. “There is true collaboration here that translates into trust and results. We are going after these criminals,” he said.
Authorities reiterated that the Secretary’s murder will not go unpunished and that operations will continue in the region to ensure the safety of the population.
López Salazar has called the murder of Rodríguez Bautista “cowardly” and says it will not go unpunished.
“Under no circumstances will we allow this treacherous and cowardly crime to go unpunished because there is no criminal group stronger than the power of the State,” he said.
