American fatally shot while dining at Tijuana restaurant

A decision to stop for a meal almost two weeks ago at a small seafood restaurant in Tijuana’s Camino Verde neighborhood proved fatal for Larry Macy, a U.S. citizen living in Mexico.

Baja California authorities confirmed Tuesday that Macy was one of three victims killed when a man opened fire inside Mariscos El Paisa at 7:45 p.m. Oct. 21. They are linking the incident to the neighborhood drug trade in Camino Verde, one of the more violent areas of the city.

Authorities said that Macy was apparently not a target, and that no arrests had been made as of Tuesday. Friends said Macy and his Mexican fiance had gone out for dinner after visiting the fiance’s mother, who lived in the neighborhood; the fiance escaped unharmed.

Macy previously had been living in Tijuana, but recently moved to Puerto Vallarta with his fiance, a friend said. “They had flown up to Tijuana so Larry could take care of some personal matters in San Diego,” said Gerald Filice of Sacramento.

Filice said that Macy was a longtime member of the International Imperial Court System, one of the oldest and largest LGBT organizations in the world. While living in Tijuana, Macy had been working to get the chapter there reactivated, Filice said. The group supports AIDS organizations, homeless shelters and other groups in need of support.

“We called him the ambassador,” said Nicole Murray-Ramirez, a longtime LGBT activist who is the organization’s leader and a member of the San Diego Human Rights Commission.

“He would give us reports, tell us about the needs and assess what was needed there. He was a kind-hearted man who cared about those less fortunate.”

Authorities with the state coroner’s office confirmed Macy’s death after family members identified him on Monday. Memorial services are being planned on both sides of the border.

Macy is among an unprecedented number of homicide victims in Tijuana this year; through Oct. 30, the total was 1,451, with 174 in October. Authorities attribute most of the incidents to rivalries among street-level drug dealers, but innocent victims also have been caught in the crossfire.

Dibble writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.