Travel warning issued after U.S. consular shot in Mexico (VIDEO)

The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning Saturday after a U.S. consular official was shot and wounded in an attack in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Surveillance video released by the State Department shows the gunman following the consular into a nearby parking lot Friday evening. As the consular’s black vehicle approaches the lot’s exit, the gunman advances towards the car, fires one shot at the driver, then flees the scene.

The consular, whose identity has been withheld, was shot in the chest but is in stable condition.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a safety warning after the shooting, urging American citizens in the Guadalajara area to restrict their movements outside their homes and places of work.

“(U.S. citizens) should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential. They should vary the times and routes of their movements,” the warning said.

Guadalajara is Mexico’s second largest city and the capital of the Jalisco state. Jalisco has been under a travel warning since December due to “continued instability” in the borders states of Michoacán and Zacatecas.

Though a State Department report issued in March 2016 indicated Jalisco’s homicide rate rose 50 percent, the department emphasized to The Washington Post that employee safety is of great importance.

“The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities,” a statement made by the department said. “We are working closely with Mexican law enforcement ‎in this matter.”

U.S. officials confirmed on Twitter that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has stepped in, offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to identification of the gunman.

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