Aurora man shot in Mexico on Christmas makes it back across the border

A 52-year-old father of three from Aurora who was robbed and shot in Mexico two days before Christmas made it back into the United States Thursday.

Unidentified gunmen ambushed the man while he was driving through the Mexican state of Zacatecas early on Dec. 23. The man, his 19-year-old daughter, and his father, were on their way to spend the holidays with relatives.

The attackers robbed the family and shot the driver three times — twice in his right knee and once in the hip. The father and the teen were beaten up but suffered no major injuries.

Provided/League of United Latin American Citizens in Chicago

A medical team airlifted the man to a nearby hospital hours after the ambush. He stayed there for 10 days as doctors performed two surgeries to remove bullet casings.

Then, on Thursday, the man was taken by ambulance to the border town of Laredo, Texas, to be checked into Laredo Medical Center.

The man’s wife — who had stayed behind in Aurora with the couple’s other children — plans to fly into Laredo Friday morning.

“I talked to him over phone. He keeps telling he’s feeling better and can’t wait to see me,” she said. “We didn’t have a merry Christmas or a happy New Year, but we’re confident we’ll overcome all of this.”

The couple has lived in Aurora for 30 years and are naturalized U.S. citizens.

Marlene Acosta, a representative of the League of United Latin American Citizens in Chicago, helped American and Mexican authorities work together to get the injured man back on U.S. soil.

“The situation is still very delicate, but we’re glad he’s back on this side,” Acosta said.

Carlos Ballesteros is a corps members of Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of Chicago’s South Side and West Side.