Guanajuato/Irapuato: Several People, Including 5-Year-Old-Child, Killed in Shootout Between Rival Sicarios

Oaxaqueño for Borderland Beat

On Wednesday night, at about 10:15pm local time, a shootout erupted in the parking lot of the shopping mall Murano, located in the western part of Irapuato, some 3 kilometers west of the city center. Reportedly, about 12 men and one woman were drinking alcohol between two vans of luxury class in the mall’s parking lot. The attackers, said to be about 8 men in vans and a car as well as 2 men on a motorcycle, opened fire on them. One man of the attacked group died while three others were injured. Additionally, a woman (bystander) was wounded. In the course of the attack, the group under fire armed themselves with firearms out of the nearby vans, thereby repelling the attack by shooting back.

Following this first shootout, the attackers left the scene prompting the assaulted group to pursue them. This caused further shootings along the bulevar Héroes de Nacozari. At the crossing of Héroes de Nacozari and Avenida Florencia, the vehicles stopped, initiating another intense shootout between the two rival groups. As a result of that, two men in a car (the car had reportedly at least 30 bullet impacts), as well as a 5-year-old child were killed. Another woman, most probably a bystander as well, was wounded.

Overall, there were four people killed and at least five others injured in these violent events.

In consequence to the latest violence, the secretary of public safety, Pedro Cortes Zavala, requested reinforcements (both federales and marinas) to contain further such events.

Oaxaqueño Analysis:

These shootouts are highly likely to be linked to the ongoing conflict between CJNG and the group of “El Marro”, the Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima. However, it remains unclear which of these two groups initiated this latest attack. Furthermore, initial reports haven’t specified whether the two men who died in the car were sicarios or bystanders. Taking into account that the car was riddled with bullets (including a lot of bullets in the windshield), it appears likely that the deceased men belonged to one of the groups. Considering that the before mentioned riddled car fits the rough description of one of the cars of the attackers, it appears plausible that the two deceased men were among the attackers. However, please note that this is pure speculation by me and has not been confirmed by any source.

The conflict between the two cartels has triggered a dramatic increase in homicides in Guanajuato. In the first nine months of 2018, the state has witnessed 1,947 murders. Most of these homicides are concentrated in the so-called “Triangle of Guanajuato”, which includes Irapuato. It is through this corridor the PEMEX pipelines pass, which constitute a lucrative source of income for huachicoleros. It seems that none of the rival sides is able to significantly gain the upper hand, so further such incidents are highly likely to happen in the upcoming days/weeks, particularly in the above-mentioned area.

Source  Source  Source