Magdalena, Sonora: Four Days of Gunfights

"HEARST" and "Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

For multiple days, the municipality of Magdalena de Kino, located in northern Sonora has has intermittent outbreaks of shootings occurring allegedly between members of  rival cartel groups. Citizens have been updating social media with videos taken of the gunfights taking place in close proximity to civilians, with bullets indiscriminately hitting churches and public spaces.  

Friday, July 23, 2021 

On Friday, footage of sicarios engaging in gunfights in mountainous areas emerged on social media. The videos are alleged to have been filmed over the weekend in northern Sonora. However some outlets say that as early as Thursday the gunfights began between rival cartel groups. 

Warning: Graphic video, male with head gunshot wound visible.  

@Arcangefantasma, @UnionG0R3OFC

Saturday, July 24, 2021

On Saturday, more video footage taken by hitmen involved in shootouts in mountainous regions emerged online. Hitmen inside vehicles are seen using radios to communicate, sending urgent warnings to each other through comms as well as barking out orders to the fellow hitmen nearby. The video below is safe to watch, no graphic content. 

Male: Do it, do it! Shoot him, shoot him son! Take away his rounds! Don’t stop shooting, don’t stop shooting!

Many public functions halted in Magdalena as a result of the increasing amount of violence. Through Facebook, a last minute cancellation notice for the planned vaccination day was issued which read :

“Community of Magdalena. For reasons of insecurity, the vaccination that began on Saturday 24 is canceled until further notice." 

Later, the Sonora Welfare Secretariat suspended the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 "until further notice", due to the violent events registered on Saturday.

A group made up of at least 11 armed men entered the town of Magdalena and fired heavy-caliber shots on Villa Hermosa and Doctor Irigoyen streets while roaming through the La Industrial neighborhood. Aristegui Noticias reported there were several shootings that occurred on Saturday afternoon. Newspaper El Sol de Hermosillo described it as a "constant detonations of firearms".

At approximately 6:00 pm, a call was made to 911 reporting the activity. State Police, Army (SEDENA) soldiers and members of the National Guard were dispatched to the scene of the events. There was a confrontation between the members of security forces and the armed men. A large number of people shared different videos where a series of shots can be heard and people are seen running to get away and protect themselves from the confrontation.

@AlfredoAlvarezz, @MennyValdz, @ElUniversal, @ElUniversal

This shootout disrupted the 6:00 p.m. mass that was occurring in the Santa María Magdalena church at the time. A parishioner took a video from inside the church during the shooting. 

In the video a frightened woman can be heard saying "Here we are lying on the ground, in the Santa María Magdalena church because the gunfire is out there." She also says "Oh, my God! Saint Mary Magdalene, protect us, protect us Señora, protect us Señora all Magdalena, protect us."

In the shootout, one of the armed men was heavily injured and died due to gunshot wounds. Another 10 armed men were subdued and arrested. The arrested men were found to be in the possession of heavy-caliber firearms, unspecified tactical equipment and a vehicle. There are currently no reports of citizens being injured as a result of the shootings on Villa Hermosa, Doctor Irigoyen or as a result of the confrontation with security forces.

Photo taken after gunfight on July 24, 2021. 

Some of the ten sicarios arrested on July 24, 2021. Source: @fernand17704066

On the night of July 24 2021, the State police twitter put out a statement saying:

“Coordinated operations by the State Police, SEDENA and National Guard continue tonight in Magdalena and Santa Ana for crime prevention and citizen attention.” Link

Sunday, July 25, 2021

More clips of citizens reacting the violence in Magdalena emerged online. In some video recordings the voices of terrified children can be heard who are spooked when they see the hitmen pass by.

@MennyValdz

Young kid: Oh my God those are hitmen, those are hitmen.

Alfonso Durazo Montaño, the governor elect of the state of Sonora, released a statement on twitter which read:

"I condemn all acts of violence, such as what happened in #Magdalena. I ask the state government and the state attorney general's office, through the transition committee, to keep us informed so that, when the time comes for us to take office, we will we have the information that will allow us to act responsibly." Link

 

Monday, July 26, 2021

The general commissioner of the State Police, Alfonso Novoa assured the Sonora public that police operations and patrols continue in Magdalena, Santa Ana and Benjamin Hill. He said they had increased the police presence in the north of the state and with the collaboration of the Army (SEDENA), the National Guard (GN) and the municipal police more patrols were being made.

Outlets are reporting that the shootings are continuing in Magdalena today, July 26, 2021 though few specific details are available yet.

Cartel Aspects

No government official or newspaper has made claims as to the cartel affiliations involved in these conflicts so far. However Debate alleges these conflicts are due to an internal dispute between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, on one side elements loyal to Ismael Zambada "El Mayo", on the other side elements loyal to Los Chapitos, the sons of El Chapo. 

Magdalena has long been the territory of one of El Mayo's top lieutenants Felipe de Jesús Sosa Canizales, alias "El Gigio", who leads Los Gigios, a Sinaloa cartel organization based out of Nogales. In May 2013 El Gigio was accused of working under El Chapo, El Mayo, and Gonzalo Inzunza Inzunza, alias “El Macho Prieto” as their Nogales plaza boss as part of a US Kingpin act sanction. El Gigio works closely with Leonardo López, alias “El 20” or "El Nayo", his second-in-command and the leader of hitmen.

There are rumors online that the Chapitos side may be Los Salazars or Gente Nueva de Altar, also called Los Cazadors, or some combination of the two working together against El 20's men. Los Cazadores notably has recently suffered the loss of its two most well known leaders El Durango and El Noveno. Both were arrested within the last few months by law enforcement and military authorities.

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*Please Note: All dates given to footage is an estimate, it is difficult to narrow down the timeframe when a video was filmed due to frequent reposting.

July 24 2021 Sources: Dossier Politico, El Sol de Hermosillo, Debate

July 25 2021 Sources: Municipios Puebla, El Sol de Hermosillo, Excelsior, Noticieros.Televisa

July 26 2021 Sources: Aristegui Noticias, El Universal, Then24

Background Sources: Borderland Beat Archives