A masked gunman walked into a small grocery store in Tijuana’s Gran Tenochtitlán neighborhood on Sunday afternoon and fatally shot the 39-year-old owner, according to local reports. Raúl Loeza was killed inside his shop, Abarrotes Ale, at approximately 1:30 p.m. on April 13.
The store sits at the corner of Jorge Mistral and Lupe Vélez streets in the Playas de Tijuana delegation. Witnesses told investigators that the attacker, described as roughly 25 years old and wearing a gray hoodie and blue pants, entered the store without saying a word. He opened fire and then fled on foot through Cañón Miramar toward the Libramiento Sur highway.
Victim Confirmed Dead at the Scene
Paramedics arrived and confirmed Loeza dead from gunshot wounds to the head. Municipal police, military personnel, and homicide investigators from the FGE (Fiscalía General del Estado, Baja California’s state attorney general’s office) responded to process the crime scene. Authorities recovered ballistic evidence from inside the store.
No arrests have been reported. Investigators have not publicly identified a motive, though the execution-style nature of the attack points to a targeted killing rather than a robbery.
Repeat Violence in Gran Tenochtitlán
The shooting marks at least the second firearm attack in Gran Tenochtitlán in recent weeks. On March 11, a man was shot and wounded on Calle 27 in the same neighborhood, according to Diario Tijuana. That victim survived.
Gran Tenochtitlán is a residential colonia on the south side of Tijuana, located in the hills east of the Playas de Tijuana coastal strip. Small business owners in working-class Tijuana neighborhoods have long faced threats tied to extortion rackets. Criminal groups operating across the city have targeted tiendas de abarrotes (corner grocery stores) for regular payments.
Tijuana recorded more than 1,500 homicides in 2025, keeping it among the most violent cities in Mexico. The city’s homicide rate has remained elevated since cartel turf battles intensified in 2018.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte and Tijuana en Línea.