Families Run From CJNG Grupo Elite Shootings In Celaya, Guanajuato

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Three alleged cartel members with Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación Grupo Elite vests were killed by police officers in the city of Celaya, in Guanajuato.

At approximately 5:30 pm on the evening of November 9, 2021, law enforcement received a report of a homicide on Natividad Macías street, in the Alfredo Bonfil neighborhood of the city of Celaya, according to the newspaper El Sol de Bajío. However the official press release instead says that the report was of men on board a vehicle that had injured two people with firearms on Presa Peñuelitas Street. More on this discrepancy later in the story. 

Officers were dispatched to search for the aggressors who were reportedly found driving a black Honda vehicle on Presa Álvaro Obregón Avenue*. Police officers and the men inside the Honda spotted each other at roughly the same time. The suspected attackers opened fire on the police officers, who then returned fire.

No graphic content. Video Source: Codigo_NegroMX

Videos on social media networks, like the one above and below, show that during the shooting, panic broke out among civilians passing through the area, as happened in the Xochipilli park, where parents and children threw themselves to the ground to avoid stray gunfire.

“We saw that some patrols [vehicles] were speeding after a vehicle and suddenly they began to shoot; many, many, shots. The truth is that we were very afraid, we were very afraid. Things are already very ugly. We threw ourselves to the ground, but we are very afraid,”said Lorena Serrano

No graphic content. Video Source: Codigo_NegroMX

A chase ensued, leading onto  Irrigación Avenues, then switching to the parallel street Torres Landa Avenue. During the chase, shots continued to be fired, which further alarmed nearby citizens.

On Torres Land, the armed men crashed into a civilian vehicle which was stopped while waiting for a green light in front of the Eduardo Tresguerras auditorium. The gunmen’s vehicle sustained crash damage in the front while the civilian vehicle, a blue Chevrolet Beat, sustained crash damage to the back. The crash left the suspects stranded in the high-speed lane, unable to recover from the crash. 

The armed men and the police then began a second shooting at this location. The shootout continued until officers were certain the crew inside were neutralized.

Two innocent civilians were injured by gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire between the two groups. One of the two civilians was reportedly a woman walking nearby who was merely a bystander. 

No graphic content. Video Source: Codigo_NegroMX

In the vehicle, three gunmen were found dead, one on the driver's side and two others in the back of the vehicle. Officers then further searched the black Honda and inside they found two long barrel firearms, ammo and two tactical vests. In photos that allegedly depict the inside of the vehicle, the vests appear to read “Grupo Elite”, referring to a subgroup of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). 

The newspaper El Sol de Bajío notes that “the Secretary of Public Safety of Celaya issued a communiqué stating that the incident was the result of a report of two people injured on Presa Peñuelitas street, but did not mention the man killed on Natividad Macias street.”

The man found dead on Natividad Macías street was later identified as 25-year-old Jesús David and that multiple bullet casings were found near his dead body. The two civilians have been identified as José Ramón and Martha Eugenia. Both have recovered from their injuries and been released from the hospital. The identities of the three gunmen have not yet been released by Celaya law enforcement.

Warning: Graphic photos below this point.

Alleged photo of the original shooting victim who was found on Natividad Macías street

* El Sol de Bajío writes that the men were spotted on Irrigación Avenue. AM writes that they were spotted on Presa Álvaro Obregón Avenue and the subsequent chase occurred on Irrigación Avenue, ending on Torres Landa Avenue.

Photo Credit: Codigo_NegroMX Tweet 1, Tweet 2, La Cronica de Guanjuato, Info Roja MX

Sources: El Sol de Bajío, Animal Politico, AgoraGTO, Pagina Central, TV Azteca, AM, Sinembargo