Ensenada municipal police arrested two men Tuesday in connection with a fatal shooting in the Lomas de San Fernando neighborhood, recovering firearms and a stolen vehicle at the scene. The arrests came after officers responded to reports of gunfire on Calle Circuito Interior near Calle L around 2:30 p.m.
Officers Responded to Gunfire Reports in Lomas de San Fernando
According to an Ensenada public safety bulletin, a 911 call alerted police to shots fired in the eastern Ensenada colonia. Patrol units arrived to find a white sedan with two occupants attempting to leave the area. Officers detained both men after a brief confrontation.
Inside the vehicle, police recovered two firearms: a .380-caliber handgun and a .25-caliber handgun. A check of the sedan’s plates revealed the car had been reported stolen. Both suspects, whose names have not been released, were turned over to FGE, the state attorney general’s office, for investigation into charges including homicide, illegal weapons possession, and vehicle theft.
A male victim was found dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. Authorities have not released the victim’s identity or a possible motive. Forensic teams from FGE processed the site through the evening.
Ensenada Homicides Have Risen Sharply Since 2023
The shooting fits a troubling pattern in Ensenada, where violent crime has escalated over the past two years. Baja California recorded 2,000 homicides statewide in 2023, and Ensenada contributed a growing share of that total. The city registered more than 300 homicides that year, a significant increase from roughly 220 in 2021.
Much of the violence is concentrated in colonias east of the city center, including Lomas de San Fernando, Ejido Francisco Villa, and Valle Dorado. These neighborhoods sit along corridors that law enforcement officials have identified as transit routes for drug distribution networks operating between Tijuana and points south along the Pacific coast.
Ensenada’s municipal police force has roughly 500 active officers serving a metro area population estimated at over 540,000. That ratio, about one officer per 1,000 residents, falls well below the recommended international standard of 1.8 per 1,000. The city has struggled to recruit and retain officers, a problem shared across Baja California municipalities where police salaries start around 14,000 pesos (about $780 USD) per month.
In response to rising violence, Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda deployed additional state police units to Ensenada in late 2023. The federal government also assigned National Guard patrols to the municipality. But the impact of those deployments on overall homicide numbers has been mixed, with some months showing decreases and others spiking above the prior year’s pace.
Eastern Colonias See Most Violent Incidents
Lomas de San Fernando, where Tuesday’s shooting occurred, sits in eastern Ensenada about 10 kilometers from the tourist zone along the waterfront and Avenida López Mateos. The colonia is a working-class residential area that has seen periodic violence linked to street-level drug sales.
The tourist corridor, the port area, and the Valle de Guadalupe wine region roughly 30 kilometers northeast of the city center have largely been spared from gun violence. Incidents involving foreign residents or visitors remain rare. But the frequency of shootings in eastern colonias has prompted some real estate agents to steer buyers toward western neighborhoods closer to the coast.
Ensenada’s cruise port, which received over 200 ship calls in 2023, operates under separate federal security protocols. The city’s growing expat population, concentrated in areas like El Sauzal, Punta Banda, and gated communities along the Ensenada-to-La Bufadora road, is geographically distant from the neighborhoods where most violent crime occurs.
Still, the overall trend affects perceptions of the city. Ensenada competes with La Paz and Mérida for retirees seeking affordable Mexican coastal living, and crime statistics factor into those decisions.
The two suspects arrested Tuesday remain in FGE custody pending formal charges. Prosecutors have not announced whether the killing was targeted or indicated any cartel connection. A preliminary hearing is expected within the 72-hour constitutional window, meaning a decision on formal charges should come by Friday. The Ensenada municipal government reported the arrests through its official public safety channels.