Los Salazar Lieutenant Who Allegedly Killed Mother And Daughter Executed in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

The two Sinaloa Cartel hitmen, El Wason and El Oakland, who were named as the ones likely responsible for the death of a mother and her five year old daughter are now both dead. Earlier in the week, El Wason was interrogated then left dismembered. Now El Oakland was executed in the border city of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.

In early August 2021, in San Luis Rio Colorado, a family of three was shot up while driving in a gray Jeep, leaving the 26 year old mother and five year old daughter of the family shot, as well as the father who was driving the vehicle. Hospital staff tried for hours to save both mother and daughter, however both ultimately succumbed to their injuries and passed away. The father, meanwhile, managed to recover from his injuries. For further details, please see this story. 

It was widely reported at the time that hitmen of Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Salazar faction were behind the attack. The Salazar cell led by Eduardo Molina Flores, alias "El Zabe" or “El Sabino”, was often pointed to as the most likely culprit. 

At the time of the August Jeep attack, publications like La Opinión named two of El Zabe’s subordinates: El Oakland and El Wason (sometimes spelled El Guasón, meaning "The Joker").

Back in March 17, 2021, Sonora Informativo described "El Oakland" as the head of hitmen under the command of "El Zabe", who enters the southern area of the Mexicali Valley to carry out "levantones" (or kidnappings) and executions. Meanwhile they described El Wason as the head of hitmen for Los Salazar.

Earlier this week, on September 20, 2021, Jose Alberto Montaño Mercado, alias “El Wason” or "El Guasón", was interrogated on video and then publicly left dismembered, as covered by Sol here. As part of his on camera questioning, El Wason was asked about the August Jeep attack. He blamed someone called "El Max" and "El H". 

On September 22, 2021, in the border city of San Luis Rio Colorado, in the state of Sonora, a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck, which was carrying a rented trailer with several items inside, was driving down Sinaloa Avenue. 

At around 4:00 pm, another vehicle drove up alongside the gray Dodge pickup and opened fire on the vehicle, which led the pickup to return fire. This led to an all out car-to-car shootout. Eventually the driver of the pickup lost control of the steering wheel and crashed the vehicle into the side of a home located near the road. The driver died nearly immediately inside the pickup from the gunshot wounds he had sustained. 

After the pick up crashed and the passengers saw the driver had become non responsive, the passengers of the Dodge got out of the vehicle and ran to try to find shelter from the other group of aggressors.

Witnesses stated that one of these men that fled the Dodge ran into a store, looking to hide, but the other group of hitmen followed him into the store, all while shooting in his direction. Whether he managed to escape or was injured is unreported.

The attackers then left the story and managed to get back to their vehicle, where they drove away and fled the scene. There is no information about the car used by the assailants, despite some witness accounts of other aspects of the attack. 

When authorities arrived, they located the crashed pickup and the dead driver inside. This man is believed to have been “El Oakland”, the other named hitman believed to be involved in the August Jeep killing. 

Three additional injured people were located by police, presumably the passengers from El Oakland’s truck. One of the injured was sent to the General Hospital, while the other two were sent to a private hospital. 

Warning: Graphic image below this point.

Alleged photo of El Oakland slumped over dead inside the pickup truck.

Sources: Diario Noticias, Tribuna San Luis Article 1, Article 2, Sonora Informativo

Background Sources: La Opinión, Zeta Tijuana, Sonora Informativo, Sinembargo    

Further Reading: 

The Interrogation Of Jose Alberto Montaño Mercado aka El Wason

CDS Los Salazar's El Zabe Suspected in Family Killing in San Luis Río