3 Men Killed in CJNG Clash in San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro, Michoacán

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A gun battle between alleged members of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) and members of the San Juan Nuevo Peace Council left three men dead. Reports currently indicate that two of the dead were alleged CJNG members and one was a member of the Peace Council.

On Saturday June 26 2021, several pickup trucks carrying armed individuals inside drove up to a guardhouse at the entrance to the San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro municipality. There were men inside the guardhouse who belonged to the “Council for Peace of San Juan Nuevo” which is a community guard for the indigenous Purépecha community. It reportedly acts as the local law enforcement authority within the area.

According to the newspaper El Sol de Morelia, the armed individuals inside the pickup trucks began to argue with the men inside the guardhouse. This argument escalated to an all out shoot out, some of the sound of gunfire was captured on video and uploaded to social media.

#Seguridad 🚨 ENFRENTAMIENTO EN MICHOACÁN
Este hecho fue entre integrantes de la guardia comunitaria de San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro y presuntos miembros del Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación. Más información en este enlace 📲 https://t.co/3RUeZqYCYe

💻https://t.co/DvZHv6vwPH pic.twitter.com/An6uogE7Ln

— Meganoticias Tepic (@MeganoticiasTEP) June 27, 2021

Police from nearby municipalities, the National Guard and the Army were sent to the reported location of the shooting which was on 12 de Mayo Avenue in the Purépechas subdivision in San Juan Nuevo. There they discovered the bodies of multiple deceased individuals. Personnel secured the scene and then carried out patrols in search of more participants however they were unable to locate any suspects. 

Four pickup trucks in which the alleged CJNG members were traveling were abandoned at the scene. This includes a FIAT, a Toyota, a Chevrolet and a Ford Ranger, all of which were seized by law enforcement. The Toyota pickup truck was found to have a theft report. 

The earliest news reports said five had died from the confrontation; however the official press release sent out on June 27 2021 by the Michoacán State Attorney General's Office (FGE) details that three men were found deceased by law enforcement authorities. The official FGE release also reports that one of the three deceased was identified as a member of the Council for Peace, named Rodolfo S., 71 years old. 

So far the FGE have not been able to identify the other two deceased men. Social media users claim one of the two men is CJNG regional leader alias “El Raya” or "El Rayas" however there is no verifiable confirmation of this identification.

Warning: Graphic photos below this point.

This is the deceased male that social media users report is "El Raya". 

Sources: FGE Official Statement, Milenio, La Jornada, Sin Embargo, El Sol de Morelia Article 1, Article 2, La Voz, Mi Morelia, Debate, Primera Plana, El Universal, Noventa Grados, Nota Roja