Several hours after the ambush, suspected CJNG gunmen based in Zacoalco de Torres killed Miguel Ángel Caicedo Vargas, the police chief of that municipality. According to investigators, the police chief was kidnapped and tortured before being killed. The assassins stabbed cardboard onto the corpse with a written message warning law enforcement that he was killed for the death of El Gringo. His body was dumped in a car wash shop in Zacoalco de Torres. Witnesses stated that the assassins were driving a white Suburban with Sinaloa license plates. Jalisco authorities stated that this execution and the ambush were both doings of the CJNG. Municipal authorities from Zacoalco de Torres refused to provide details on the murder, and did not say if they were planning to host a memorial ceremony for Caicedo Vargas. Citizens from Zacoalco de Torres said they were worried about the situation in their town; in 15 days, the town hosted the shootout where El Gringo was killed and the murder of its local police chief. Locals stated that there was a strong presence of the Jalisco State Police following both incidents. A memorial service was carried out at the city's convention center on 8 April. The police department where Caicedo Vargas worked, which sat across the street from the convention center, placed a black ribbon in front of their main entrance. The PGR took over the ambush case, and stated that it would charge the suspects with organized crime, illegal possession of firearms, and homicide. This placed the investigation under federal jurisdiction.
