Jonathon Torres pictured in an undated photo posted to Facebook
A Texas college student was shot and killed in Mexico after the bus he was riding on was hijacked by suspected members of a Mexican drug cartel, The Brownsville Herald reports.
Jonathon William Torres, an 18-year-old college freshman at the University of Texas at Brownsville, was killed Sept. 30 in Matamoros -- just outside Ciudad Mante in the southern part of Tamaulipas, about 350 miles from Houston -- a university spokeswoman told the newspaper.
Torres was reportedly on his way to visit family when his bus was allegedly ambushed by members of Mexican organized crime. At least two people were killed in the attack, according to a U.S. official who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity.
"We are all greatly saddened by the loss of what we consider one of our family," said Juliet V. Garcia, president of the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
Torres, who was born in Dahlonega, Ga., was reportedly studying for an associate's degree from the university.
The U.S. Consulate General in Matamoros released a statement regarding Torres' death on Friday, saying, "We are in touch with the family and are offering all consular services available," the statement said.
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