A man from New Zealand was shot and killed by robbers on a motorcycle who attempted to snatch his bag as he was walking with two mates in the city of Mendoza, in Argentina’s wine country. The attack happened near the entrance to the Malvinas Argentinas Futbol stadium.  Earlier, it had been reported that the victim was from Australia, that turned out to be incorrect.

The as yet unidentified victim, believed to be in his early 30s, was accompanied by an Australian woman and a French man when they were ambushed.  The man put up a fight for his bag, but was knocked to the ground. 

“They attempted to snatch a bag that the victim was carrying on his back.  They could not get it off him and threw him to the ground and it was there on the ground that they executed him with a minimum of two gunshots,” said Mendoza police chief Juan Carlos Caleri. 

He died at the scene.  The bandits are believed to have fled into the La Favorita neighborhood of Mendoza, which lies at the foot of the Andes some 1,000 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. 

The Argentinian Security Ministry is offering a A$5,400 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the bandits.

Along with the Wine Country, Mendoza is a popular stopover for people heading into the Andes for climbing or other adventures.