The Municipal Public Safety Secretariat (SSPM) is mourning the loss of two of its officers, 31-year-old Miguel Eduardo Gallegos Salas and 32-year-old Rigoberto Pulido Escobedo, who were shot and killed late Monday night while off-duty near a convenience store.

According to local news reports citing unnamed investigators, the officers were allegedly serving as bodyguards for a civilian at the time of the attack. That civilian, identified as Ulises Nache Trujillo of Juarez, also died in the shooting. Authorities say Nache has a known criminal history in El Paso, Texas, including multiple illegal entry and reentry cases, as well as a 2010 arrest linked to alien smuggling.

Pulido Escobedo had served with the municipal police for 11 years, while Gallegos Salas had been with the department for just two years. Both were assigned to a motorized patrol unit responsible for policing the commercial district in Downtown Juarez.

“The two officers were off duty, and this agency is collaborating with investigative authorities to aid in the resolution of the investigation. SSPM expresses its sorrow over this incident,” the police department stated in a press release on Tuesday.

Juarez authorities have not released details about possible suspects or motives. The investigation remains ongoing as the community and law enforcement colleagues pay tribute to the fallen officers.