American couple shot and killed while on vacation in Mexico, authorities say

An American couple was fatally shot while on vacation in Mexico, local authorities said.

The Michoacán Attorney General’s Office identified the victims by their first names, Gloria and Rafael. The office said the wife, 50, was found dead following reports Thursday that the occupants of a black Ford pickup truck had been shot in Angamacutiro.

The husband, 53, was injured in the shooting but died at the hospital, the office said in a translated statement.

A family friend said that the couple, Rafael Cardona Aguilera and Gloria Ambriz de Cardona, were from the Sacramento, California, area, NBC affiliate KCRA reported. The friend said relatives would be traveling to Mexico for a memorial service.

The U.S. State Department said violent crime such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery, is widespread and common in Mexico and urged travelers to avoid Michoacan state due to its crime, according to a Mexico travel advisory.