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American family attacked in Mexico, child killed

The attorney general's office in the state of Tamaulipas said the child was a U.S. citizen and that the parents were permanent residents of the U.S.
Credit: WFAA

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Tamaulipas — An American family returning to the U.S. from Mexico has come under attack just south of Texas, with armed gunmen killing a 13-year-old and wounding three others. 

The attorney general's office in the state of Tamaulipas said the child was a U.S. citizen and that the parents were permanent residents of the U.S. It didn't identify them further. 

According to the Associated Press, the family was traveling in a Chevrolet SUV with Oklahoma state plates and were returning to the U.S. from a holiday visit to relatives in the state of San Luis Potosi.

The highway on which they were shot Saturday is considered high risk. It runs through an area that's disputed by criminal groups including the Gulf Cartel and Zetas.  

The U.S. State Department had issued a warning last month for travelers headed to Mexico, due to crime and kidnapping. The State Department had said travelers should use increased caution for the entire country of Mexico. Tamaulipas was one of the states within Mexico that the government advised travelers to completely avoid. 

RELATED: US issues Mexico travel warning with several states marked 'Do Not Travel'

Saturday's deadly attack comes two months after a cartel ambush in Mexico killed nine American women and children. The November 2019 attack occurred as the women traveled with their children to visit relatives.  

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