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By Jasmine Laws
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United States authorities have identified the man shot in a Mexican mall on Wednesday as Jesús Pérez Alvear, a 40-year-old Mexican music promoter.
The shooting at a restaurant in Miyana Commercial Plaza, which happened at around 4:00 p.m. in the Polanco area of Mexico City, prompted the Mexico City U.S. Embassy to subsequently issue a security alert, warning U.S. citizens to "exercise caution and avoid the area if possible."
The alert warned the public to "be aware of your surroundings, maintain a high level of vigilance and keep a low profile, monitor local media for updates, review your personal security plans and follow the instructions of local authorities, and call 911 if you need emergency assistance."
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The embassy also pointed to the U.S. State Department's Mexico Travel Advisory, which is at Level 2, meaning the public is advised to exercise increased caution.
What Happened in the Mexican Mall?
On Wednesday, Pérez Alvear was reportedly sitting at a table with three others at the El Bajío restaurant in the Miyana Plaza mall, Mexico City, when two men approached the table, according to local outlet Mexico News Daily.
Per the report, the two men appeared to check Pérez Alvear's identity before then opening fire, shooting him at least 10 times.
Pérez Alvear's companions reportedly got out of the way as others in the restaurant moved to protect themselves under the tables.
The two gunmen then ran out of the restaurant and fled the mall on a motorcycle, per the Mexico News Daily report, and Pérez Alvear was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics shortly after.
The Mexico City police department later announced that Mexico's Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) would be investigating the case.
The FGR has not yet determined a possible motive for the shooting, but reports seen by Mexico News Daily in June 2023 suggested that Pérez had allegedly admitted to U.S. authorities that he conspired with a drug cartel to break the law.
Who is Jesús Pérez Alvear?
Pérez Alvear, who is also known as Chucho Pérez, promoted large concerts throughout Mexico, representing major artists within the region's banda and norteño music scene, according to the Associated Press.
His promotion business was called Gallistica Diamante, also known as Ticket Premier. He also promoted concerts in Mexico for the company Del Entertainment in 2019, according to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Mexican regional concerts have been associated with money laundering for a long time, AP reported, partly because tickets are hard to verify.
Pérez Alvear was accused of money laundering by the U.S. Treasury Department in April 2018 for two drug trafficking organizations, and was also accused of using "violence to obtain concessions to operate concerts under the name of his music promotion business."
"Our designation of Jesús Perez Alvear exposes his role helping [the Jalisco drug cartel] and [the Los Cuinis drug cartel] exploit the Mexican music industry to launder drug proceeds and glorify their criminal activities," the statement said.
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The U.S. Treasury found that Pérez Alvear promoted musical acts known for singing narcocorridos, or ballads that glorify drug traffickers and their illicit activities, with some of the acts having ties to drug trafficking organizations.
One given example was Pérez Alvear's promotion of the Mexican singer Julio César Álvarez Montelongo, otherwise known as Julion Álvarez, who was found to have links to the Flores drug trafficking organization in 2017, an organization that was also connected to the Jalisco cartel.
It was also noted that he had close ties to the family of González Valencia, a family with a number of links to Mexican cartels.
Gerardo Gonzalez Valencia was the leader of the Jalisco international drug-trafficking organization, who was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Pérez Alvear is also thought to have been associated with Miguel Jose Leone Martinez, a 44-year-old who had posed as an Italian-Venezuelan fashion photographer while heading up an international prostitution ring on behalf of the Los Cuinis drug cartel.
In 2022, a criminal complaint was opened against Pérez Alvear after he continued to promote concerts while being designated under the Kingpin Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in California.
The Kingpin Act is the American legislation that imposes sanctions on foreign persons and entities involved in the drug trade.
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