US consular official shot in Mexico, in stable condition

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – An American consular official was shot in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city in the restive western state of Jalisco, but is now in stable condition, Mexican authorities said yesterday.

Mexican federal and state officials are investigating the incident, which occurred on Friday evening, the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of $20,000 for information that helps identify the shooter, the US Embassy in Mexico said via Twitter.

Jalisco is one of the engines of the Mexican economy, but the state’s southern border turned into a battleground between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNG) and the Michoacan-based Knights Templar.

In May, 2015 JNG gunmen shot down an army helicopter in southwestern Jalisco, claiming the lives of six military personnel.