Law enforcement officials in Mexico are investigating the murder of a Chinese immigrant in the state of Chihuahua. They ruled out coronavirus racial discrimination as a possible motive for the fatal shooting.

The unidentified perpetrators reportedly shot the immigrant at the head, immediately killing him. According to the state attorney general's office, the immigrant had been living in Mexico for five years. They have yet to release the man's name.


Conflicting reports

An article on a Mexican news site claims the victim was beaten to death, linking his death to discrimination. They also alleged the tragic event that happened last Monday. Local police reportedly received a tip about a lifeless person near te San Diego de Alcala community.

According to the news site, uniformed officers found multiple injuries on the victim. The man also lost his teeth from the beating. They revealed the man to be 30-year-old Wujie Liang.

Chihuahua officials issued a statement denouncing any claims of discrimination or COVID-19 infection fears being the motive for the homicide. They also said they are conducting "a serious and professional" investigation.


Asian Discrimination

Asians living in many parts of the world have experienced racism and discrimination since the health officials first reported the COVID-19 outbreak.

On March 14, a 19-year-old man named Jose Gomez stabbed and cut four Asian-Americans at the Midland Sam's Club. Investigators listed the incident as a hate crime.

According to reports, Gomez came up to the Asian-American family and stabbed them because he thought they were Chinese. He admitted to his crime and said he was afraid they would infect people with the new coronavirus.

Gomez entered the shop in an attempt to kill the family. Zack Owen, an employee, intervened and tried to stop the perpetrator from hurting the family. He continued to fight with Gomez, getting his fingers cut and his leg stabbed during the struggle.

Owen eventually managed to knock the knife away and maintain control of the suspect until local authorities arrived.

Pictures posted on social media showed the father with a large cut on his cheek. His son was also severely cut-the the wound reached from behind his ear all the way across to his eye.

Jose L. Gomez III was charged with three counts of attempted capital murder and a count of aggravated assault. For all four counts, authorities set his bond at $1 million.


COVID-19 Tally

The global pandemic has infected over 3,308,874 people worldwide, with more than 234,000 fatalities. Mexican health officials have reported 19,224 coronavirus cases and 1,859 deaths as of Friday.

As the country prepared for the peak of the virus, health workers are struggling to keep up with the demand as their supply of personal protective equipment quickly dwindles. Many have taken to the streets to protest the lack of necessary items as well as the lack of action from the government. They believe the scarce supply contribute to the accelerating spread of COVID-19.

At least 15 percent of the country's total number of cases involve health care workers. Thousands more are in quarantine with coronavirus symptoms, leading to a severe personnel shortage.


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