Mexican officials have arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of Douglas Bradley, an Imperial Beach official who was on vacation in southern Mexico.
The attorney general for the Mexican state of Guerrero identified the suspect as Isidro “N,” alias “El Chiro.” The man allegedly shot Bradley on Dec. 28, after Bradley got into an argument with people at a bar in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.
The suspect, identified by a witness, was found in possession of a pistol that appeared to match the one used in the shooting, according to investigators: a .45-calibre semi-automatic Colt pistol manufactured in Connecticut.
The Department of Justice has said that 70 percent of weapons seized at crimes in Mexico are traceable to the U.S., particularly border states like California and Texas.
Last year, 18 members of Congress signed a letter urging border state governors to institute greater controls to decrease weapons smuggling into Mexico, saying: "The devastating impacts of guns falling into the wrong hands transcend our borders."
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Bradley was the administrative services director for Imperial Beach and had gone to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo on a surfing vacation for his 50th birthday.
His sister, Cheryl, returned to the U.S. this weekend with his body.
"That they now have the suspect in custody is very good news and, honestly, more than we thought we'd get out of the investigation," she said. "We are hopeful that the prosecution will be as effective as the investigation and that Doug gets the justice he deserves."
A toxicology report revealed that Bradley was not under the influence of any illegal substance when he was fatally shot. An early press release from a public relations firm working for Mexico's state of Guerrero had incorrectly suggested that Bradley had "an addiction to toxic substances."
