Death and Fire in Mocorito Mountain Range, Sinaloa

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Debate

Oscar's family leaving the room where they found him shot to death and their property partially destroyed by fire a week ago; The family had to physically go fetch the authorities to get them respond to their pleas for help the following day.

Death and fire have caused terror in the Mocorito mountain range of Sinaloa State. So far this year there have been four major violent events, three of them in the southern zone.

Mocorito, Sinaloa: The violence recorded between Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in the community of Terrero de los Pacheco, in the Mocorito mountain range, is one more case of the several that have occurred in different towns of this municipality and has now been stigmatized under the label of danger and terror. Armed clashes between rival groups have left at least 17 dead.

This is a follow up to my Post from Nov 24, 2019: Photo Essay of a Mexican Murder Victim (Oscar)

Terrero de los Pacheco: Acribillan young and burn multiple houses:

Last Tuesday, according to unofficial sources, at 06:00 hours the entry of armed men aboard various vehicles into the community of Terrero de los Pacheco began, where people quickly took refuge in their homes, afraid to leave or even peek out in the thunder of the detonations of high-powered rifles carried by civilians. 

It should be remembered that that same afternoon, around 3:30 p.m., police corporations received the report of the events, but the clashes between civilians did not cease, according to some comments, as shots were still heard last Wednesday by the town. 

  A bullet shell was thrown on the road that leads to Terrero de los Pacheco. Photo: Daniel Ayala 

By Thursday, things were already calm and many families took advantage of the cease-fire to leave the community, leaving behind everything they had to seek refuge in other places in the same municipality of Mocorito, as well as in Culiacán or the city of Guamúchil, according to unofficial sources. 

             A calcined van was found at the entrance to the community. Photo: Daniel Ayala 

Although there was talk that the death toll was considerable, since it was said that there would be about 17 lifeless bodies as a result of the clashes, when touring the site and reviewing the damaged homes, elements of the Sedena, Municipal and State police, as well as personnel of the Investigation Police located the lifeless body of Sergio Omar, only 22 years old.

                  The facade of a house ended with dozens of bullet impacts. Photo: Daniel Ayala 

Fear was still in the air and of the 25 families that inhabited the place, there were only seven left, who would probably also leave their homes in search of safer places to live.

                   Sergio's body was riddled after being hung upside down. Photo: Daniel Ayala

Capirato: Shots kill Oscar in front of his family; Check out my previous post Here :

We must remember that last Saturday, November 23, the community of Capirato, in the southern area of ​​Mocorito, woke up in a climate of violence and terror very similar to that experienced in Terrero de los Pacheco , after an armed commando entered the community and shot gunshots Oscar Óscar Fabián "N" , who had come from Mazatlan to visit his mother, whom he had not seen for three years. 

That is a detail unknown at the time of my first post on the 24th.

Oscar's family cries inconsolably after having to spend almost 12 hours with his bodies in a pool of blood inside their home awaiting the authorities who did not answer their pleas for help the night before.

In this event the affected people indicated that the terror began between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Friday, November 22, when the group of armed civilians entered and shot at the house located on the edge of the town , where the bullets quickly began to crumble the walls.

Óscar and his family sought refuge from the violent attack while the aggressors waited for the young man to leave the house, but seeing that he did not, they opted to press him by setting fire to a room, which almost asphyxiated his only four-month-old daughter. 

Comanito: The attackers burned  a house and three vehicles:

This year another similar case was also recorded in the community of Comanito , also located in the southern area of ​​Mocorito, but this time, unlike the two most recent cases, there were no dead or injured people. 

Military watch the entrance to one of the houses where burned vehicles were found. Ph/ Marco Milán

It was last Friday, March 15, when an armed group broke into the tranquility in that town, where they arrived at a private home and set fire to a house and three vehicles parked in the courtyard in recorded events around 08:15 hours of that day. 

                                 Aspects of a calcined van. Photo: Marco Millán / The Debate

On that occasion, it had been said that detonations were also recorded, but during the investigations no caps of any caliber were located in the area.

               Two trucks and part of a house ended up burned in Comanito. Photo: Marco Millán

The armed groups involved in the violent events recorded in this 2019 in different towns of Mocorito, have carried high-powered rifles such as AK-47 and 50 caliber, in addition to grenades, which in two of the cases have not exploded.

             One unidentified body found; Authorities finally mobilized into the area yesterday