MMA Fighter and 1 other American Murdered in Mexico
MMA Fighter Killed in Mexico Shooting
ESPN.com news services
Violence at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing near Tijuana claimed the lives of two American citizens early Monday morning, including a young man with nine professional mixed martial arts bouts.
Sergio Salcido Luna, 25, a professional fighter since 2005, and 28-year-old Kevin Joel Romero -- co-workers at West Coast Beverage, a San Diego-based company that services draft beer equipment -- were shot dead with a 9 mm weapon as they waited in a company truck at the San Ysidro border crossing at around 2:40 a.m. PT, according to published reports.
The assailant approached on foot between the lines of vehicles, fired his weapon and fled, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, which cited a Mexican law-enforcement source. Salcido and Romero were shot in the head, chest and arms.
Baja California Attorney General Rommel Moreno Manjarrez told reporters that detectives were investigating the possibility that the incident was drug related because one of the victims apparently had a "small packet of drugs among his belongings."
Neither Salcido nor Romero had a criminal record, according to a U.S. law-enforcement source who spoke to the Union-Tribune.
Matt Pelot, the owner of West Coast Beverage, told The Los Angeles Times that the men had moved to Mexico for family and financial reasons and were trying to avoid traffic by getting to the border crossing before 3 a.m. PT.
Salcido amassed a 4-5 record while competing at welterweight. His career began promisingly enough with four victories in his first five bouts, however he lost his last four since 2009. Salicido was in the midst of training for a fight in June, according to a report by NBCSanDiego.com.
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