Mexican authorities are seeking for a gunman disguised as a female nurse who shot a US consular official on Friday night in the western city of Guadalajara, prompting the FBI to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the suspect.

The attack was captured on a surveillance video that was released by the Consulate General in Guadalajara. One footage showed a man in gym clothes paying at a parking ticket machine at 6:16 p.m. local time, while being immediately followed by another man.

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The assailant wore a wig, a pair of sunglasses, purple scrubs, and white shoes. He was seen loitering by the car park exit while waiting for the victim to drive out of the parking garage.

In a second video timed at 6:20 p.m., the suspect pointed a gun at the driver of a black vehicle and fired once before running away. Bystanders rushed to help the victim.

A police source told media that the shooter may have been a professional hitman. "That's not an easy shot. He was probably aiming for the head but he missed as the [the victim] leaned over to put his ticket in the machine."

A source in the city police identified the injured as 31-year-old Christopher Nolan Ashcraft, a foreign service officer in Guadalajara since June 2015. The US official, who was shot on the chest but is now in a stable condition, interviews visa applicants at the consulate, Jalisco state attorney general Eduard Almaguer Ramirez said.

The US Consulate confirmed on Saturday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was offering a $20,000 reward for information regarding the attacker. "The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities," a state department spokesperson said.  

In recent years, a couple of US consular agents have been attacked in Mexico. In 2010, US consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband, and the husband of a colleague were killed as they were leaving a children's birthday party.

Citing "continued instability," the US Embassy advised American citizens a "travel warning" for Jalisco area, including Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Lake Chapala.

TagsMexico, USA, FBI, shooting, US Embassy