Canadian Biker Reported Shot To Death In Mexico

Friends have confirmed a Canadian man has been shot to death by gunmen in Mexico.

They said Kenneth Klowak was killed by armed men after he refused to stop at a road block last Wednesday.

Mexican magazine Proceso says Klowak was shot by gunmen in the town of Allende, a town near the Mexico-U.S. border in the state of Coahuila, some 65 kilometres from Eagle Pass, Texas.

Wayne Biegel, who heard the news from a friend of Klowak’s parents, says the 43-year-old was in Mexico building bike trails for his employer.

He says Klowak, who is from Mansfield, Ont., a town about an hour’s drive northwest of Toronto, was an avid biker who constructed trails for his employer in Jamaica for the past two years.

Biegel, from the nearby town of Orangeville, says Klowak was due to visit his parents in Ontario at the end of the month.

He called his friend of more than 20 years a passive and well-liked gentleman who wouldn’t upset anyone.

“I spoke to him a week and a half ago,” Biegel said in an interview. “He was very happy, he was looking forward to … coming back to Ontario.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa confirmed it was aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in the region of Piedras Negras, Mexico, but did not release any names.

Spokeswoman Dana Cryderman said a second Canadian citizen who was also part of the group excursion was reported unharmed.

“Canadian consular officials in Monterrey and Mexico City are working closely with local authorities to gather additional information, and are providing consular assistance to the family,” Cryderman said.

“Due to privacy considerations, no further information is available at this time.”

Biegel said Klowak and a co-worker were driving through the region when they came across a barricade put up by armed individuals.

According to Biegel, Klowak was chased by the gunmen as he charged through the road block but lost control of his vehicle before it rolled into a ditch.

“The gunmen then got out of their vehicle and shot him twice in the head.”

Biegel says Klowak’s job of building trails had appeared to be a safe one in the past.

He never explained any kind of danger to me,” he said. “Oh God, it’s devastating.”

A funeral for Klowak is scheduled for Thursday in Orangeville, Ont. 

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