American Woman Killed in Mexico After Cartel Mistakes Vehicle for Rival Gang’s

Isabel Ashanti Gomez, 22, was riding with her dad, Valentin, in his Ford F-150 when they were ambushed in a cartel-controlled zone on the Zitácuaro-Aputzio highway

A 22-year-old American woman was fatally shot in Mexico after members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) allegedly mistook her father’s Ford F-150 for a rival gang’s vehicle. The incident occurred early Sunday morning on the Zitácuaro-Aputzio highway in Juárez, Michoacán.

Isabel Ashanti Gómez, a dual U.S.-Mexico citizen, was traveling home from a dance event with her father, Valentín, and her 26-year-old friend, Dánae, when they encountered an unofficial checkpoint believed to have been set up by the CJNG.

Cartel members assumed it was a rival gang driving the truck and opened fire, killing Gomez in a hail of bullets, local outlets confirmed

According to preliminary reports, Valentín chose not to stop the truck upon recognizing the checkpoint, prompting cartel members to open fire under the belief that the group belonged to a rival faction. Gómez was shot and died at the scene. Her father and friend sustained serious injuries and were transported to a hospital for treatment.

The attack has been linked to William Edwin Rivera Padilla, a regional CJNG lieutenant known by the alias “El Barbas.” No arrests have been made in connection to Gómez’s killing, and authorities continue to investigate the ambush.

The cartel allegedly thought Valentín's F-150 (stock image) was a member of a rival gang

Gómez had frequently visited Mexico and maintained close ties with her family there. Hours before her death, she had posted a video on social media dancing with her uncle and wishing him a happy birthday, writing, “I hope you keep celebrating many more birthdays. See you later, after I’ve had a shower.”

Her partner, May Mendoza, expressed her grief in a social media tribute, writing, “I will always carry you in my heart my beautiful girl,” and updated her profile with an image of Gómez’s eyes.

Isabel Ashanti Gómez, 22, was traveling home with her father Valentín and friend Dánae, 26, from a dance when they came across an unofficial checkpoint believed to have been set up by the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel

Gómez’s funeral was held earlier this week, with floral wreaths and photographs displayed around her white and gold casket as loved ones paid their respects.

The CJNG, which emerged from the Milenio Cartel in 2010, is considered one of Mexico’s most dangerous and aggressive criminal organizations. The cartel controls key drug trafficking routes and is responsible for some of the most violent attacks in the country’s recent history.

After noticing the criminals, her father decided not to stop and the alleged criminal opened fire around midnight. Gómez was shot and killed. Her father and her friend were both seriously injured. Her casket at her funeral.

In 2015, CJNG killed 15 police officers in an ambush—one of the deadliest on law enforcement in Mexico—and later that year, shot down a government helicopter. The cartel has also attempted high-profile assassinations, including attacks on former Security Secretary Luis Carlos Nájera in 2018 and Mexico City’s Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch in 2020.

The United States government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Ramos, also known as “El Mencho.” Mexican authorities have issued a separate bounty of $1.6 million for his arrest.