Mexican authorities have arrested a suspect in the murder of Doug Bradley, an Imperial Beach official who was shot three times in late December while he vacationed in the Mexican resort town of Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, located in the southern state of Guerrero.

On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 7, Guerrero State Prosecutor Xavier Olea Pelaez announced in a press conference that a man identified as Isidro N. was captured the day before in connection to the crime. Eyewitnesses to the killing identified the suspect.

Olea Pelaez also stated that Isidro N. had a .45-caliber pistol, which was manufactured in the United States, in his possession.

On the night of the murder, Bradley had left a popular bar with a woman whose “services he contracted”, this according to Mexican authorities. After going into a nearby hotel, the interactions between Bradley and this woman turned hostile and they had a dispute, which lead Bradley to report to employees of a bar he was previously in that he had been robbed. After fighting some of the bar’s employees, the assailant shot him from a distance of roughly seven to 10 feet away.

According to earlier reports from Mexican news sources, witnesses were quoted stating that armed gunmen chased Bradley before killing him.

There had also been reports of Bradley having possibly ingested drugs during the night of his murder, but an autopsy has shown that Bradley had only consumed alcohol that night.

Bradley was no stranger to Mexico, as he resided in the Playas neighborhood of Tijuana, directly opposite of the border fence from Imperial Beach, which lead Bradley to cross the border for work. In a tweet sent out by Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina shortly after news of Bradley’s death broke out, he regarded Bradley as a true “border resident”. Bradley had also made several surfing trips throughout the Mexican coast in the past.

Bradley served as city treasurer and as the administrative services director for the City of Imperial Beach, a position which encompasses the City’s budget and spending.

Violent crimes are common incidences in the state of Guerrero, where organized gangs fight over territory and drug smuggling routes.

In a travel advisory emitted on Wednesday, Jan. 10, the United States warned citizens to avoid travel to Guerrero and four other Mexican states due to to increased violence and crime.

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