Gunmen shot four taxi drivers Wednesday evening at a Calimax supermarket parking lot in Tijuana’s Villa del Campo neighborhood, according to local reports. The attack occurred around 7:00 p.m. on April 8 on Paseo del Campo, where the drivers were stationed near the store entrance.
Municipal Police units responded to reports of multiple gunshot victims at the scene. All four men were wounded by gunfire and received medical attention, though authorities have not released details on the severity of their injuries or the identities of the victims.
Attack Targeted a Taxi Stand
According to Diario Tijuana, the shooting targeted a taxi stand (sitio) operating in the Calimax parking lot. The supermarket is a well-known commercial anchor in Villa del Campo, a residential neighborhood in Tijuana’s eastern sprawl. Sitios are designated taxi pickup points common throughout Mexican cities, where licensed drivers queue for fares.
No arrests have been reported in connection with the attack. Investigators have not publicly identified a motive, though taxi drivers in Tijuana have faced ongoing threats in recent years. In May 2024, a Tijuana taxi drivers’ union staged a public demonstration demanding better security after a wave of robberies and assaults targeting cabbies across the city.
Violence Against Drivers a Recurring Problem
Taxi drivers in Tijuana operate in a high-risk environment. Disputes over routes, competition with rideshare services, and extortion by criminal groups have all contributed to a pattern of violence against drivers. Attacks on sitios are particularly alarming because they occur at fixed, predictable locations.
Villa del Campo sits southeast of central Tijuana, roughly a 20-minute drive from the San Ysidro border crossing. The Calimax chain operates dozens of stores across Baja California and is one of the region’s most common grocery retailers.
Authorities have not said whether additional security measures will be deployed in the area. The investigation remains open.
This story was first reported by Zeta Tijuana and Diario Tijuana.