Grenade attacks throughout Tamaulipas; shootouts reported

Photo: Twitter
Azteca Cinema: Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas

By: The Monitor


One of the most violent days recently in northern Tamaulipas took place Tuesday as one large firefight broke out in Matamoros, another firefight took place in Rio Bravo, and various grenade attacks occurred in Reynosa, Ciudad Victoria and Rio Bravo.

In Matamoros, fighting broke out about 5 p.m. near the intersection of Cuauhtémoc Avenue and Calle Doce. Soon after, another fight broke out along Calle Sexta near the intersection with Canales Avenue. The fighting soon moved to the San Francisco neighborhood, where it reportedly lasted close to 30 minutes. The fighting allegedly took place between two groups of gunmen with Mexican authorities arriving shortly after to make it a three-way fight.

As the fighting continued, gunmen set up road blocks along the city’s main streets to interfere with the deployment of Mexican troops.

Cameron County officials confirmed that Veterans International Bridge was temporarily closed as a result of the situation in Matamoros.

The Twitter and Facebook account used by the City of Matamoros to warn about violent incidents didn’t issue any alerts. However the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros issued a warning regarding the firefight.

“A gun battle that occurred on September 27, 2011 between the approximate hours of 5:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.,” the document stated. “During that time heavy gunfire was reported in different locations in Matamoros including the downtown area.”

The warning advised U.S. citizens to avoid unnecessary travel within the city.

Tamaulipas authorities issued a new release confirming the grenade attacks and condemning all forms of violence.




RIO BRAVO

Official figures have not been released regarding the total number of injured or dead, but officials confirmed two dead in the Rio Bravo shootout.

The shootout came Tuesday afternoon about 3 p.m., shortly after a group of men in an SUV threw a grenade at the Azteca movie theater along Madero Avenue, seriously injuring one person. Soon after the first attack, a second grenade was thrown at the Tamaulipas State Police building along Independence Street; no injuries were reported. The shootout took place shortly after the two attacks between Mexican authorities and gunmen.



REYNOSA

About an hour later in Reynosa, three different grenade attacks were reported without any injuries. One of the grenades was thrown at a nightclub called Dubai along Seventh Street. A second device was thrown at a hair salon next to Guadalupe Victoria Elementary School in the Mil Cumbres Dos neighborhood.

The third grenade attack took place in the Casa Bella neighborhood.

The Twitter and Facebook account used by the Reynosa city government to warn about violent incidents didn’t issue any alerts but invited the public to various cultural activities.

On Monday night, two different grenades went off one in the Gallo De Oro bar in the Rodriguez neighborhood and another in the Cadillac Bar in the downtown area. At the Gallo De Oro bar, one man by the name of Enrique Valdez Martinez was killed by the blast and seven other patrons were injured.



CIUDAD VICTORIA

In the state capital, Ciudad Victoria, two grenades were thrown at a Federal Electric Commission warehouse along Luis Caballero Avenue, causing damage to electronic equipment inside.




Matamoros 27-Sept.-2011