Canadian woman identified as victim in Mexico shooting

QUERÉTARO CITY, Mexico — The son of a Canadian woman killed in Queretaro, Mexico, says she was on her way back to Canada to look after her elderly mother.

Mexican police put out a release on Tuesday identifying the Canadian as Gabriele Schart, adding that she was killed in a shooting on March 16.

Police say Schart and a friend stopped in front of a convenience store to check on their pets, when they were supposedly approached by alleged criminals who threatened them into handing over their belongings.

The pair were both shot, with Schart dying at the scene while her companion was shot in the arm and taken to hospital.

According to a post by her son Corin on the Facebook page for his mother’s theatre and karaoke bar in Zipolite, a town in southern Mexico, Schart was driving to the border at the time in an effort to return to Canada.

She was coming back after a decade in Zipolite to care for her mother, whose health had declined.

Global Affairs Canada says it is aware of the death of a Canadian in Mexico.

“Consular officials are providing consular assistance and support to the family and are in contact with local authorities to obtain additional information,” Global Affairs said in a statement. “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”

The office of Mexico’s attorney general in Queretaro said it could not comment beyond what had been released by police.

The family has started a GoFundMe to cover transportation and funeral costs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press