Family in shock after Quebec man shot dead in Mexico

The family of a Quebec man said they were shocked after learning the 27-year-old was shot dead in the Mexican beach town of Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast.

On Tuesday, the Oaxaca state prosecutor said Victor Masson’s body was found in his car on Monday.

Masson is the second foreign tourist to die in the southern Mexican state in less than a week.

The victim’s family released a statement confirming Masson’s death but declined to provide further information.

“Victor Masson’s family asks the press to respect their privacy, because they are concerned that reporting false information could damage the investigation,” said Annie Viau, a spokeswoman for the family.

According to Radio-Canada, Masson is from Saguenay, a city located about 200 kilometers north of Quebec City.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Masson works as a mortgage advisor at Laurentian Bank and has studied at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Que.

Prosecutors did not provide a possible motive for the shooting.

Masson’s death comes just days after a man from Argentina was killed in a machete attack in another coastal town in Oaxaca.

Argentine tourist Benjamin Gamond was attacked Friday while in the village of La Isla, at the mouth of Laguna de Chacahua. Laguna de Chacahua is about 100 kilometers west of Puerto Escondido.

Gamond died in a Mexico City hospital, prosecutors from the state of Oaxaca said in a statement. They said the alleged attacker Gamond, accused of assaulting two other Argentine tourists who survived, was detained on suspicion of murder.

Oaxaca, known for its beaches, has a lower crime rate than most states in Mexico. Elsewhere, in northern Mexico, two Americans were killed after a group of four were kidnapped earlier this year.

In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said it was aware that a Canadian citizen had died in the country. He said he was in contact with local authorities, and that consular services were provided to the victim’s family.

“Global Affairs Canada continues to recommend that Canadians exercise caution in Mexico due to the high level of criminality and kidnappings,” the statement said.