(IntegrityTimes.com) – On Friday February 9, popular Instagram influencer 44-year-old Niko Honarbakhsh was killed during a shoot-out between possible cartel members in Tulum, Mexico. Tulum is known for its beautiful beaches and has been frequented by celebrities for years. However, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory for Quintana Roo State, which would include Tulum and Cancun, specifically mentioning the possibility of getting caught in crossfire from gangs that operate in the area.
Honarbakhsh was married to Karl Perman, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent and the couple split their time between their home in Beverly Hills and their condo in Cancun. Perman says that he and his wife were aware of the travel advisory but with rising crime in L.A. they felt safer in Cancun. Perman, who often travels for his current job in the private energy sector, says that just last summer his wife had been chased around by a man with a knife while walking her dogs at the U.C. Los Angeles campus.
Perman was frustrated in his dealings with law enforcement officials in Mexico as he tried to find out what had happened to his wife. He was originally informed about the shooting by a friend who contacted him when he heard about an American woman matching Honarbakhsh’s description being killed in the Cancun area.
The local authorities say they have identified the three men who were allegedly involved in the shooting but have not made any arrests yet. In addition to Honarbakhsh, known drug dealer 22-year-old Shawn Billary was shot and killed in the incident. A witness took to travel website, TripAdvisor, to discuss what he had seen and to harshly criticize the staff who he characterized as clueless and unhelpful. He said they didn’t bother to tell people to get down and didn’t check on the people who were shot. Other alleged witnesses have also taken to social media to describe what they remember. Hopefully, so many witnesses will increase the chances that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
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