A British traveller and eager skateboarder shot useless alongside two pals in Mexico was “within the mistaken place on the mistaken time”, his inquest has heard.
Ben Marshall Corser, 36, from St Simply in Cornwall, was killed whereas sitting behind a automobile outdoors a grocery store in Colima, in western Mexico.
Cornwall coroner’s court docket heard Corser was taken to hospital unconscious however pronounced useless on arrival.
His father, Andrew Corser, instructed the listening to in Truro that his son was wholesome and had been having fun with a “very pleased and sociable time” whereas travelling in 2022. He mentioned Ben and the 2 pals he had been dwelling with had gone to the grocery store to purchase meals after they had been killed.
Corser instructed the court docket: “We now have had no clarification or motive given, no suggestion of theft, kidnapping or anything. Police haven’t handed to us any info other than the reason for loss of life.
“Apparently there was a dramatic upsurge of violence in Colima. It’s more than likely this was a query of Ben, Claudio and Alfredo being tragically within the mistaken place on the mistaken time.”
A police report learn to the inquest referred to the witness assertion of a neighborhood lady who heard gunshots and threw herself to the bottom earlier than seeing a van with the driving force’s door open. CCTV cameras had been unable to establish the van and the licence plates weren’t seen, the inquest was instructed.
A postmortem discovered Corser, who had first-class levels in maths and nice artwork, had been fatally shot in his chest.
Emma Hillson, assistant coroner for Cornwall, concluded that Corser had been unlawfully killed.
She mentioned: “Ben had been travelling in Mexico since January 2022. He had lived in numerous components of Mexico, turning into a part of the group. He was dwelling with an American-Mexican household, with two different younger males, Claudio and Alfredo, in Colima.
“They had been skate boarders and Ben joined them in skateboarding. On the night of 24 Could 2022, Ben and Claudio returned to the realm on a bus and Alfredo picked them up within the automobile.
“They travelled alongside the primary boulevard and stopped at a grocery store. Whereas the three had been within the automobile, outdoors the grocery store, all three of them, together with Ben who was sat within the again seat, had been shot useless.”
The coroner added: “Three years have now handed since this loss of life. I’m glad it’s unlikely that additional info might be forthcoming.”
