British man shot dead with two friends in Mexico was in the 'wrong place at the wrong time', inquest told

Wednesday, 18 June 2025 14:45

A British man and his two friends were shot dead in Mexico because they were in the "wrong place at the wrong time", his inquest has heard.

Ben Marshall Corser, 36, from St Just in Cornwall, was killed while sitting in the back of a car outside a supermarket in Colima on 24 May 2022.

Cornwall Coroner's Court heard Mr Corser was taken to hospital unconscious but was pronounced dead on arrival.

A post-mortem found he had received a fatal shot wound to his chest.

Emma Hillson, assistant coroner for Cornwall, concluded Mr Corser had been unlawfully killed.

The inquest heard he was living with two other young men, Claudio and Alfredo, in Colima, with an American-Mexican family at the time of his death.

His father, Andrew Corser, said the three friends - who all enjoyed skateboarding - had gone to get some food for Claudio's mother when they were killed.

Mr Corser told the court: "It is most likely this was a question of Ben, Claudio and Alfredo being tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time."

An inquest in Truro on Wednesday heard Ben had been travelling in Mexico since January 2022 and was "very happy".

Mrs Hillson said: "While the three were in the car, outside the supermarket, all three of them, including Ben who was sat in the back seat, were shot dead."

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Police obtained evidence from video cameras around the scene which showed a grey vehicle with no identifying features.

The coroner added: "Three years have now passed since this death.

"I am satisfied it is unlikely that further information will be forthcoming."

She reached a finding of unlawful act manslaughter, recording that Mr Corser died from a wound caused by a bullet that penetrated his thorax.

Earlier this month, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office provided a statement to the coroner's court that "it was unlikely further information would be forthcoming due to the time passed since the death".

Sky News