“Don’t shoot my child,” were the last words of a 38-year-old man shot and killed yesterday evening in front of the altar at a church in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora.

Witnesses said the man pulled up in front of the church, located in the Casa Blanca residential area, followed by armed civilians in a pickup truck.

He ran into the church with the child in his arms but one of his assailants caught up with him inside and killed him with a burst of gunfire. The child survived the attack uninjured.

About 35 people were in El Buen Pastor church attending mass at the time.

The victim was identified only as Victor Alejandro by state authorities, who said he had a criminal record and was a pilot who worked for a crime gang known as El Chapo Trini.

Source: Entorno Informativo (sp)