UPDATE: 11:43 a.m., April 5, 2017
An Uber driver in Rosarito was fatally shot Thursday night while driving three U.S. citizens from a nightclub to their rented apartment, Rosarito police told KPBS.
The Baja California state prosecutor confirmed Wednesday that at least two of those U.S. citizens were San Diego State University students.
The police said a black sedan pulled up next to the Uber car, a Nissan March, and shot the driver multiple times at around 11:35 p.m. They were driving southbound on Federal Highway 1.
The U.S. citizens, two males and one female, tried to keep the driver alive but he died before police arrived on the scene.
The passengers were on their way to a residence at Club Marena from the nightclub Papas and Beer, a popular place for San Diego college students to celebrate spring break. The venue is having a sold-out open bar event this weekend.
The Uber driver was a 28-year-old man named Jose Humberto Felix Mendez, a student at the Autonomous University of Baja California, according to police.
"The attack was directly against the chauffeur, not against any of the passengers," said a spokesman for the Rosarito Police Department. "None of the passengers were injured."
An Uber spokesperson said via email, "We were deeply saddened to hear the news about our driver partner. Our hearts and thoughts are with the grieving family impacted by this horribly tragic incident. We will support the police investigation in every way possible. We encourage the public to help assist authorities, and we hope the persons responsible will be identified by police."
The company has not released any further comments.
Since Uber started operating in Mexico in 2013, Uber drivers have repeatedly been injured in confrontations with taxi drivers who are unhappy about the competition.
It is unknown whether this killing is related to those feuds. The Baja California state prosecutor is investigating.
