Ernesto Rascón, a 30-year-old US citizen from Prescott, Arizona, allegedly shot and killed oral surgeon Dr Amed de Jesús Preciado Hernández, 42, in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, reportedly over a dispute about a loose tooth. Rascón later died in a shootout with officers.
Fatal Confrontation at Dental Surgery
The events began on October 15, 2026, when Rascón entered Dr Preciado's dental surgery in Nogales, Sonora, according to the New York Post. The practice is located blocks from the US southern border.
Eyewitnesses reported that Rascón demanded an immediate consultation, angered about earlier dental treatment and alleging that a tooth had been left loose. When staff told him the doctor could not see him without an appointment, Rascón left for the car park but did not depart.
Shooting and Cross-Border Manhunt
Rascón waited and, as Dr Preciado emerged and got into his pickup truck, moved in and opened fire at point blank range. The dentist sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency responders took him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved unsurvivable.
The murder prompted a multi-agency investigation. Mexican authorities, including officers from the Ministerial Agency for Criminal Investigation and Sonora state police, traced Rascón's movements eastward along the border. By Saturday, October 17, investigators located him at a safehouse in Agua Prieta, Sonora, opposite Douglas, Arizona.
Shootout and Death of the Suspect
When a heavily armed tactical squad arrived to execute an arrest warrant, Rascón opened fire from inside the property. Officers returned fire, and the shootout reverberated through the neighbourhood. Once the shooting stopped, authorities entered the residence and found Rascón had been killed.
The Sonora State Attorney General's Office subsequently verified the gunman's identity and nationality.
