Vincente Peña Jr, Antonio Fernandez Obituary, Death – A devastating shooting in Durango, Mexico, has left three members of an American family dead and a 14-year-old boy in critical condition. The victims, originally from Chicago, were on vacation visiting relatives over the holidays when the tragedy unfolded.
Vincente Peña Jr. was among those killed, along with his brother Antonio Fernandez and a 22-year-old family member. Peña’s teenage son survived but remains in a coma at a hospital in Mexico, fighting for his life.
“This is an unimaginable nightmare for his mother,” said Julia Contreras of United Giving Hope, a local activist group working to support the grieving family. Contreras has been coordinating with the U.S. State Department to help the boy’s family and surviving relatives return safely to the United States.
Maria Elena Hernandez, the teen’s grandmother, recounted the harrowing moment she received the news. Speaking from Mexico via phone, she shared with WLS that she had been in Chicago when her daughter called in despair. “She said, ‘Mom, they killed my boy. They killed Junior. They killed my brother-in-law. I don’t know what to do,'” Hernandez recalled through a translator.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain murky. Local authorities in Durango reported finding the victims Friday night near their vehicle, which was parked by the side of a highway. All of them had suffered gunshot wounds to the head, and only Peña’s teenage son survived. The family was traveling in a black GMC Yukon with Illinois plates at the time of the attack.
There is no conclusive information yet as to whether the shooting was a targeted act or a robbery gone wrong. The investigation is ongoing, and Mexican authorities have not released further details.
For the family, the ordeal is far from over. Contreras described the emotional toll on Peña’s younger son, who recently learned about the tragedy. “It’s heart-wrenching,” she said. “This family is living through a nightmare. Our focus is on bringing them home so they can find some measure of safety and support.”
Efforts are being made to transport the surviving boy and his relatives back to the United States as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, questions remain unanswered about what led to this violent attack that shattered a family and left a young boy clinging to life.