Primary Article: Fatal Shooting of Woman Involved in Land Dispute in Rosarito
In a tragic incident on September 20, 2024, Maria Susana López Gámez, a 63-year-old real estate agent, was shot and killed in Rosarito during her commute home. López Gámez had been embroiled in numerous legal battles over alleged irregular land sales, the most recent being with the heirs of Antonio Pequeño Guerrero in the Residencial Villas de San Pedro in Rosarito.
The attack occurred at 18:22 on the Tijuana-Rosarito Scenic Highway, near the Jardín Carrizalejo subdivision. An American witness reported hearing loud noises followed by gunshots. He emerged to find López Gámez’s Ford Explorer overturned with her lifeless body inside. The victim had two gunshot wounds on her left cheek and two more on her chest.
Evidence suggests the perpetrators approached her from the driver’s side, nudging her car to slow it down before shooting her. The impact caused López Gámez to lose control and overturn her vehicle. Investigators found no GPS device in the car and have yet to recover any shell casings.
López Gámez’s office in the Anexa Obrera colony of Playas de Rosarito has remained closed since her murder. Her family noted that her last major conflict occurred five years ago after the natural death of her business partner. López Gámez had faced legal trouble in 2019, with a warrant issued against her for fraud related to land sales. This case drew attention as local media had reported on the ongoing legal disputes dating back to 1997 involving her and various partners, including the family of Antonio Pequeño Guerrero.
Her murder adds to a list of violent incidents tied to land disputes in Rosarito. Notably, in January 2021, Rosa Ramos Méndez and her daughter were also killed over a similar conflict involving land ownership.
**Secondary Article: Land Disputes in Rosarito Draw Violent Responses**
The death of Maria Susana López Gámez is not an isolated incident in Rosarito, a city frequently troubled by land disputes escalating into violence. In January 2021, Rosa Ramos Méndez, aged 72, and her daughter Diana Marlén Montes de Oca Ramos, a municipal judge, were gunned down by two assailants. The attack was linked to a legal feud over a significant parcel of land. Despite identifying the suspects and issuing warrants, justice has yet to be served.
This trend of land-related violence continues to worry local residents and authorities. Families embroiled in land disputes live in fear of becoming targets. The local government has been urged to take more profound measures to protect individuals involved in these legal battles and to expedite judicial processes to prevent further escalation.
As Rosarito expands, the value of undeveloped land rises, making it a prime target for fraudulent activities and violent confrontations. This pattern underscores the need for stringent legal framework improvements and enhanced law enforcement actions to mitigate and resolve these dangerous conflicts.
For ongoing developments and related news, the public remains hopeful that justice will be served and that authorities will take decisive steps to ensure safety and fairness in property disputes in Rosarito.