In what was initially labeled a homicide by armed gunmen, authorities now believe Televisa executive Adolfo Lagos was accidentally shot by his bodyguard during a failed robbery attempt near Mexico City.
State of Mexico attorney general Alejandro Gomez on Tuesday told Radio Formula that the bullet that killed Lagos in a Sunday shootout near the Teotihuacan pyramids matches a gun carried by the executive’s bodyguard.
Gomez said two men, one allegedly armed with a revolver, attempted to rob Lagos and a colleague of two expensive bikes during a weekend ride. Lagos’ two bodyguards, a former cop and military officer, were following the cyclists close behind in an armored vehicle and they fired first on the assailants after they allegedly saw one of the men approaching Lagos with a firearm, according to the investigation.
“Mr. Lagos was caught in the line of fire,” said Gomez. “We are very certain that the bodyguard was trying to protect him. There’s no evidence leading us to believe that the bodyguard had any other intention.”
The assailants fled the scene and are still at large. Meanwhile, the bodyguard is under investigation for manslaughter.
Lagos was a former banking executive who joined Televisa in 2013 to head up its cable TV division Izzi. News of his death comes at a difficult time for Mexico’s top network as it grapples with a steady decline in ratings and the recent resignation of longtime chief executive Emilio Azcarraga.
