Mexican authorities have confirmed that a seven-year-old American girl was killed after police opened fire on her family’s vehicle from a helicopter during a drug enforcement operation in Matamoros.

MEXICO CITY: Mexican police shot dead a seven-year-old American girl when they opened fire on her family’s vehicle from a helicopter during a drug enforcement operation, the state prosecutor confirmed Friday.

Police captured a local criminal in Matamoros, which borders Brownsville, Texas, on October 29, triggering a series of street blockades by gunmen in the area.

The Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office said Friday that Aranza, a seven-year-old who was born in the United States, was hit in the head by police gunfire.