Slaying of American-born teen in Mexico draws national attention

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Jun 13, 2020

Alexander Martinez Gomez, who was born in North Carolina but returned to Mexico to live with his mother and start his promising soccer career, was shot dead by local police in the town of Acatlan de Perez Figueroa, in the state of Oaxaca.

#Oaxaca | #Cuenca  Compañeros de Alexander lo despiden, mete su último gol. pic.twitter.com/dJ9hY2DaTW

— Noticias de Oaxaca | TVBUS (@tvbus) June 11, 2020

The 16-year-old Martinez had spent the season that ended in March playing for UGM Norte de Orizaba, a fifth division team. He had started out at a Monterrey academy program, Filial Rayados Tierra Blanca.

Martinez's killing and funeral received national news in Mexico following attention to police brutality in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis and the protests that followed.

Police said Martinez was among a group of teens on motorcycles who failed to stop at a checkpoint, but a cousin said police opened fire while they were at a gas station getting sodas. Oaxaca state prosecutors have the officer in custody and plan on filing on murder charges against him.

The checkpoints had been set up because of high levels of street crime and organized crime involving the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

Teammates and family honored Martinez on Thursday. A soccer goal was set up next to Martinez's casket. One of his teammates killed a soccer ball off the casket, and the ball went into the goal past a diving goalkeeper. Everyone celebrated the goal by mobbing the casket and hugging it.