A fourth victim has died from the armed attack on Taquería Mis Tíos in Tecate on Saturday night, authorities confirmed Sunday morning. The latest fatality is 22-year-old Yaritza, the daughter of a taqueria employee named Elvia who was also killed during the assault.
Gunmen entered the restaurant on Bulevar Paseo Morelos, near the Tecate-Mexicali highway, at approximately 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. They opened fire on workers inside the establishment, killing three people on the scene and wounding two others. One of the two wounded, Yaritza, died overnight.
Attackers Set Fire to Victims’ Bodies
According to multiple reports, the armed men dragged the bodies of two workers, a man and a woman identified as Elvia, outside the restaurant after killing them. The attackers then set the bodies on fire. Dozens of families eating at the taqueria and nearby businesses witnessed the attack.
The shooting at Taquería Mis Tíos brought the total number of homicides in Tecate to five on Saturday alone. Two other killings occurred separately earlier that day in the municipality.
Same Restaurant Targeted Three Years Ago
This is not the first deadly attack at the same location. The owner of Taquería Mis Tíos, identified only as Miguel, was shot and killed inside the restaurant on July 14, 2023. The near-identical timing, almost exactly three years later, and the targeting of workers at the same business point to an ongoing dispute connected to the establishment.
Tecate sits along a strategic border corridor roughly 30 miles east of Tijuana. The small city of about 110,000 residents is a crossing point used by both legal commuters and smuggling networks. The Colonia Industrial neighborhood where the taqueria is located runs along a main commercial boulevard connecting Tecate to the Mexicali highway.
Five Homicides in a Single Day
Saturday’s violence made July 4 one of the deadliest single days in recent Tecate history. With Yaritza’s death confirmed Sunday morning, the taqueria attack alone accounts for four of the five homicides. No arrests have been announced in connection with the shooting.
Authorities have not publicly identified a motive or named suspects. The investigation is ongoing under Baja California state jurisdiction. The attack was first reported by Semanario Zeta.