17 Die in Violence in Northern Mexico
Seventeen people died in drug and gang related violence in northern Mexico, including the fifth and sixth Juarez Municipal police officer killed this week, the third and fourth lawyer killed this week and a gang leader killed by the Mexican Army, according to Mexican news reports.
- Seven unidentified people were found tortured and shot to death on a farm near Nogales, Sonora, according to Mexican news reports. No other details were made immediately available Local residents did make a tentative identification on two of the dead, two men in their 50s.
- A gang leader was killed and several suspects were captured in a Mexican Army operation in Nuevo Leon early Wednesday morning, say Mexican news reports. Veläzquez Amador, alias "La Piña, was killed as he attempted to break out of an army cordon in the town of San Pedro Garza GarcÃÂa.
The army had previously been informed that a celebration was to take place in the third floor of a building by a drug gang. The army deployed and cordoned off the area at about 0515 hrs.
The ensuing firefight at the intersection of JardÃÂn de San Jerónimo and Doctor de la Vera in the San Jeronimo district, lasted about fifteen minutes. No one else was wounded in the exchange. About six suspects managed to break for cordon and flee arrest. The army seized four rifles and a 5.7mm pistol held by Amador when he died. Two automobiles were also seized in the raid.
- An unidentified man was gunned down in a south Monterrey district as he attemped to flee the attack Tuesday night, say Mexican news accounts. Witness reported gunfire in the Hacienda district of Monterrey about 1900 hrs at the intersection of Hacienda de Coyoacän streets, between Sendero Encantado and Garza Sada streets.
Reports say the victim attempted to enter a residence to evade his attackers but was shot to death by several heavily armed men, who immediately fled the scene.
- A young man out walking his dog was executed by armed suspects in Guadelupe, Nuevo leon, according to Mexican news reports. Alexis Ivän Ortiz Silva, 18, was shot to death as he left his home neat the intersection of Jesús Yurén 300 and Blas Chumacero streets, in the Eduardo Caballero district of Guadelupe to visit his betrothed at about 1900 hrs. Monday night.
Witnesses say a group of armed men aboard a Nissan Murano shot Silva to death and then took his body with them as they fled. Two hours later the same group returned the body to Silva's father, Sergio Ortiz Rodriguez. dumping Silva's body on the porch.
- An unidentified man in his 20s was found tortured and executed on a highway in Tamaulipas, say Mexican news reports. The find was made at about 0645 hrs. Thursday morning near an auto assembly plant on Highway 82. The victim had some signs of being tortured prior to being shot and his face had been mutilated to prevent identification. The body also displayed signs of being shot multiple times.
Investigators found spent cartridge casings of a .223 rifle at the scene.
- Two men were found executed in Meoqui Wednesday evening, say Mexican news reports. Alejandro Ibarra, 20 and Jesús GarcÃÂa Espinoza, 23, were found dead inside a Ford Crown Victoria near the intersection of Aldama and Zaragoza streets, in the Centro district of Meoqui.
Investigators at the scene say the two were shot with .45 and AK-47 weapons. Several spent cartridge casings were found at the scene.
- A man and his son were kidnapped late Thursday in northern Juarez, according to Mexican new accounts. Witnesses say the abduction which took place near the intersection of Avenida Industrias and Mina San AgustÃÂn street, the man and his son were taken from their Ford Focus by armed men aboard two vehicles, a Dodge Nitro and an Isuzu Rodeo.
- Two undercover Juarez police officers were shot to death in a police operation, say Mexican news reports. The operation took place last night near the intersection of Avenida Santiago Troncoso and Zaragoza Blvd., in the Paraje de Oriente district.
Apparently suspects aboard a Yukon SUV attacked the two agents, who managed to return fire before they died, forcing the SUV to crash. Two suspects were captured, one of whom were shot in the back.
- Two men tentatively identified as lawyers were found dead late Wednesday night in Parral, Chihauhua, according to Mexican news reports. The victims were found partially nude, tortured and shot aboard a GMC SUV with messages scrawled on their chests near the panthenon "Jardines Eternos", in the Satélite district of Parral near the intersection of Avenida Gómez MorÃÂn and Neptuno. The messages tipped the police that the victims were lawyers.
The two victims represent the third and fourth criminal defense attorneys killed this week, the other two in Juarez.
- Mexican PolicÃÂa Federal Preventiva ( PFP ) shut down a "narcocelebration" today in the far southern Sonoran community of Vicam, according to Mexican news reports. Residents of town reported to officials the sounds of gunfire, which brought federal and state police agents to cordon the area and ultimately close down the celebration.
Four unidentified men were arrested carrying military type weapons. Police officials found no dead and no wounded.
- A confrontation between elements of the Mexican Army and a band of armed suspects in Coalhuila Wednesday morning has accounted for one unidentified dead soldier and two wounded as well as three armed suspects wounded, according to Mexican press accounts.
The battle took place on República (López Portillo) Blvd. in Piedra Negras, Coahuila, after complaints by a local business that theft of its trailers were so bad it may be forced to close its doors, brought elements of the Mexican Army to the area. Reports say three unidentified armed suspects were wounded in the battle.
- The Mexican Army arrested two unidentified people, a man and a minor, and seized a small arsenal near Nogales, according to Mexican news reports. The seizure took place near the Aguajito farm and included eight rifles, a pistol, 36 magazines, 538 cartridges and four cars.
- The Mexican Army battled a small armed element near Nogales Wednesday evening, and apparently wounded two armed suspects. An army patrol attempted to stop convoy on Avenida Tecnológico. An ensuing pursuit ended up in the countryside where suspects abandoned a light truck heading in the direction of El Ruido ranch. Soldiers say bloodstains in the vehicle lead them to think two passengers were wounded by fire.
- Mexican Army element of the 7th Military Zone intercepted a small convoy of vehicles in Nuevo Leon early Thursday morning yielding a large arsenal of military weapons according to Mexican news reports. The confrontation took place in Vallecillo, when the army began pursuit of four vehicles. The abandoned vehicle had a large number of military weapons aboard including: nine assault rifles, ten derringers, a fragmentary grenade and several magazines.
The seizure included property apparently belonging to the two federal agents found murdered near China, Nuevo Leon earlier in the week.
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