In the kind of incident that is far more common north of the border, a clearly unbalanced man shot and killed an employee at the Guadalajara headquarters of the state Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalia General del Estado or FGE) on Wednesday.
The shooter wounded three other employees before he himself was shot and killed by officers responding to the emergency.
Every day hundreds of citizens walk in and out of the FGE headquarters without inspection. Many come to file reports of crimes, bring extra paperwork or get updates on investigations. The security is laid back and the atmosphere is more akin to a government office than a law enforcement facility. The building bustles with activity throughout the day and is located the industrial area of the city, appropriately always referred to as “Zona Industrial.”
The shooter has been identified as Luis Homero Águila, a former solider aged between 50 and 56 who worked as an “assessor” close to the FGE headquarters. An FGE spokesperson said Águila was known to personnel in the building as he often helped his clients fill in forms and with paperwork. He was reported to have had some behavioral issues, a source said.
Reports indicate Águila had asked to see a an agent from the prosecutor’s office (Ministerio Publico or MP) but was told he was unavailable. He left and returned a few minutes later, heading to an area staffed by female social workers. He then withdrew a pistol from his clothing and began firing at personnel. Three of the injured were social workers; the other was an MP agent. All were female. María Verónica García Carmona, a 58-year-old social worker, died instantly.
Águila was quickly taken down and found to be carrying two additional weapons.