"Strong" Confrontation near Villa López, Chihuahua included Grenades and Armored Vehicles

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Debate y entrelineas y ElSol

          

          Showdown near Villa López, Chihuahua included Grenades

A strong confrontation that according to unofficial versions lasted at least half an hour, happened around 5:00am on Saturday in the vicinity of the municipality of Villa López, Chihuahua. Police have also heard reports that it went down approximately between 2 and 4 am. There was a previous armed confrontation last month on the same stretch of the road.

The violent act allegedly starring heavily armed subjects left a balance of two vehicles with bullet impacts,  a black Jeep Cherokee and a red Chevrolet pick-up. There was also a fully burned Suburban truck, a total of three burned units, as well as 1,200 percussion caps on the ground near them.

The gun battle took place on the road that connects the municipalities of Villa López and Coronado.

Villa López villagers denounced a confrontation that lasted just over half an hour on the road that leads to Coronado and testified that they were not only shots but detonations of grenades. Now Joint Security Operations have been deployed in the Municipalities of López and Coronado.

According to Adrián Gómez for BM Radio, they located  three cars that were in the showdown, including a black Jeep Cherokee; a red Chevrolet pick up with several bullet impacts; and a Suburban on the road aflame on one of the lanes.

In one of the units, blood and traces of brain mass were located, so it is believed there was at least one deceased. Hundreds of scalloped bushings of various sizes, barbed tires, at least one magazine and a grenade that did not explode were located.

The use of grenades was confirmed after the discovery of a fragmentation grenade on one side of the asphalt which did not explode. Also next to the asphalt was located a "goat horn", ie "cuerno de chivo" (AK 47) magazine.

Elements of the National Guard arrived at the site to protect the scene. Subsequently, elements of the Attorney General's Office of the Southern Zone State came to begin the investigations and provide security to the town. The terrified inhabitants  testified of hearing bullets for more than half an hour and the explosions of grenades. The first reports have not mentioned the number of victims of the confrontation.

Elements of the State Research Agency and the State Security Commission implemented a coordinated operation in the municipalities of López and Coronado, following the report of a clash between armed civilians yesterday morning.

The joint action was joined by members of the Federal Police and the Ministry of National Defense, who deployed a security device at different points, where various evidence was located; ruling out the finding of injured or lifeless people.

The processing of the scenes by personnel of the Directorate of Expert Services and Forensic Sciences, lasted until the afternoon, securing the following:

1. Kilometer 18, López - Coronado highway section

• Jeep vehicle, Grand Cherokee, 2014 model, navy blue, with theft report in the city of Chihuahua.

• Chevrolet, Cheyenne, 2018 model, red, with theft report in the city of Parral.

Both have firearm impacts, they were abandoned on the asphalt roadway.

2. Kilometer 33.30, road section López - Coronado

• GMC vehicle, Yukon Denali

 It was fully calcined (pending vehicle verification), it has firearm impacts; it was abandoned on the asphalt road.

 35 .223 and 7.62 x 39 caliber percussed casings were packed.

3. Municipality of Coronado, outside the Municipal Pantheon.

• Hummer vehicle, H3, model 2006, gray, with theft report in the city of Jiménez.

• Ford Lobo Pick up F250, model 1998, blue color, has handmade armor.

  Both have firearm impacts.

Likewise, several .223 and 7-caliber loaders were secured, in addition to approximately 1,200 ballistic shell casings of various sizes.

The District Attorney's Office for the Southern Zone continues with the deployment of this operation in order to provide security and certainty to the population. In addition to this, the emergency number 911, anonymous complaint 089 and the pasaeldato.gob.mx platform are made available to the public for any information they contribute to the investigation.

After the violent day of yesterday morning on the López-Coronado highway, authorities indicated they had found two other vehicles that were shot up. They were in the back of the cemetery in the municipality of Coronado.

Minutes later, the location of two abandoned vehicles was reported behind the municipal cemetery of Coronado. It was a blue 1997 Ford Lobo.

The second unit was a grey 2010 Hummer H3 truck, in which remains of the blood and brain mass were located, so it is believed there was at least one deceased person after the confrontation.

Both units had several impacts of a firearm projectile, as well as the tires burst. Police say they may release more information soon.