US Marine Corps veteran shot dead by cartel gunmen in Mexico: 'He was a protector'

It is suspected that gunmen working for a drug company killed an American in Mexico, and one of the suspects was from the Honduran security forces, said authorities in northern Mexico.

Arizona resident Nicholas Quets was shot and killed on October 18 near a gas station between the towns of Altar and Caborca, on the Sonora state border. Local media reported that Quets was visiting a beach in Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, at the time of the attack. His car may have passed the cartel checkpoint just before the killing, local media reported.

Quets' family told CBS affiliate KOLD-TV that he was a veteran of the US Marine Corps.

“What was different about him was that he was a protector, and he wouldn't hurt a flea that would hurt someone else,” his father Doug told the station. “Because of that trait, he had a wide, wide circle of friends.”

Prosecutors in the northern state of Sonora said Tuesday afternoon that the Honduran suspect and his accomplices were “neutral” in the town of Altar after opening fire on security guards. Neutralized is a term used in Mexican law for killing.

The prosecutor's office released a video of the suspects on social media.

Prosecutors said the Honduran suspect – who, like the others, was given his full name – had a warrant to separate from Honduran security guards. Mexican drug cartels often recruit ex-military personnel from Central and South America. He was taken into custody pending investigation on weapons and drug charges.

Prosecutors said they arrested two other suspects in Quet's murder. One was identified as “Delta,” a gang that worked for the Chapitos, a gang Sinaloa drug company.

Quets' family told KOLD-TV they are heartbroken after losing their 31-year-old son, who went with Nick.

“What I should have done, I would have said, 'Well, I'll wait until Nick comes,'” said his father Doug. “Knowing that Nick won't be here to do that, it's a void that's going to have a hard time filling.”

The family told KOLD-TV that the Quets were sent to countries around the world, including Australia and nations in Southeast Asia.

The family has set up a GoFundMe for a memorial scholarship in his honor.