Nuevo Laredo: Civilians Attack Soldiers After They Kill 3 CDN Hitmen, Allegations That The Hitmen Had Surrendered

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Some witnesses claim soldiers shot three CDN hitmen to death after they had already surrendered to the soldiers. In response, civilians reportedly began throwing rocks at soldiers and in return, the soldiers fired indirectly back in order to calm the crowd of civilians. 

The Car Chase

Following the recent homicide of six Fuerza Civil officers by alleged CDN hitmen in nearby Colombia, a shootout occurred between cartel hitmen and Army (SEDENA) soldiers the border city of Nuevo Laredo, in the state of Tamaulipas, during the afternoon of Tuesday, June 28, 2022.

It allegedly began when soldiers who were on routine patrols on the outskirts of the city noticed armed men traveling aboard a green Chevrolet Silverado pick up truck. News publication La Silla Rota writes that the cartel gunmen were “members of La Tropa del Infierno, the armed wing of the Cártel del Noroeste.”

The soldiers signaled for the pickup truck to pull over but the driver ignored their signal and accelerated, trying to flee. A high-speed car chase ensued, with gunfire being exchanged between the two groups.

Newspaper El Norte wrote that “the soldiers and hired killers fired in all directions, resulting in at least ten cars being shot at, all owned by neighbors.” Several houses and vehicles parked on Medellin Street, between Dionisio Carreon and Jesus Guajardo street, were damaged by the gunfire and the according to newspaper El Mañana.

This indiscriminate gunfire resulted in an innocent bystander Leobardo Espinosa Espinosa, age 54, taking a gunshot wound to the leg, of which he is expected to recover. 

The car chase ended in the Lomas del Río neighborhood of Nuevo Laredo, when the green Silverado pickup was stopped. Newspapers give different accounts of why the pickup truck stopped.

El Universal says “In the middle of an intense shootout, the subjects, who were traveling in a green Silverado pickup truck, were hit by personnel of the Dragones Urbanos division of the military forces.” 

Meanwhile La Silla Rota writes “the vehicle of the gunmen [...] crashed into a parked vehicle and other cars were damaged in the shootout.” Following the pickup truck stopping, a gunfight between the soldier and hitmen broke out.

The Disputed End

What occurred at the end of this gun battle is highly contentious, so below are translations of how multiple different news publications describe it:  

La Silla Rota writes

“According to eyewitness accounts of the events, when the alleged members of an organized crime cell were already surrendered and were not shooting, the military opened fire on them again.  

[...]Neighbors who witnessed the incident said that the alleged criminals were no longer shooting and had apparently surrendered when soldiers approached the truck in which they were in to open fire on them.”  

El Mañana writes 

“They fired indiscriminately, killing three armed civilians who were traveling in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. 

‘They were already surrendered, the military arrived and finished them off in the pickup truck,’ said a witness who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisals from the authorities."

 

Infobae writes

“In videos disseminated through social networks, it could be seen how neighbors in the area shouted for the military to cease fire against the gunmen, who had allegedly tried to surrender to avoid the confrontation. 

[...] The footage also showed how members of the Army were attacked with sticks and stones by the residents of the neighborhood, who had reprimanded them for the killing of the gunmen.

Some versions spread through social networks claimed that the people who came out of their houses were relatives of the hired killers, for which they implored the military to stop the aggressions against their loved ones, while others claimed that they were members of the social support base of CDN and tried to run the military out of the place.”

 

 El Norte writes

“The facts given by citizens who uploaded videos to social networks, where they accused the soldiers of having finished off the gunmen when they had already surrendered and were only wounded.”

 

 El Universal writes 

“Some citizens captured these events on video and accused the military of finishing off the alleged assassins despite the fact that they had surrendered.

 López-Dóriga Digital writes

“Military personnel killed three alleged members of the Northeast Cartel in Nuevo Laredo [...] A video posted on social networks shows residents of the area asking the soldiers to stop shooting.”

The Videos & Subsequent Events

The following are videos alleged to show the aftermath, many of which are referenced by the news publications above:

Video Source: El Mañana

Video Source: La Voz Del Pueblo

Video Source: Frontera al Rojo Vivo

Video Source: El Mañana

As seen in the videos, people (who some publications allege were related to the CDN hitmen and who some publications allege were simply uninvolved civilians) began shouting at the soldiers. "Leave them alone, don't shoot them, don't shoot them, please don't shoot them," said a woman who was filming. 

Then a second burst of gunfire was unleashed from a high-powered automatic weapon. And in the video they can be heard saying "They have already killed them, they have already killed them all, they are still shooting at them, they are already dead". 

People began to throw stones at the SEDENA men, seen on video, as the soldiers worked to seize the green pickup truck as evidence. 

National Guard agents arrived at the scene shortly after the three hitmen had already been killed but they also were seen being pelted by stones. 

El Mañana wrote “Neighbors took photos, videos and some broadcast live on social networks, witnessing how the three armed civilians were killed. Upon seeing what the neighbors were doing, the military fired indirectly at the citizens in a clear example of intimidation.”

They added that “the soldiers tried to impede the work of the Nuevo Laredo media. They even fired into the air in an attempt to intimidate the media representatives; they also tried to shoot down and even used a slingshot on a reporter's drone.”

El Norte reports the same, writing “Soldiers and agents of the National Guard tried to shoot down a drone of a journalist.”

Sources: El Universal, La Silla Rota, El Norte, El Mañana, López-Dóriga Digital, Infobae, CODIGO NEGROMX, Elefante Blanco

Video Sources: Frontera al Rojo Vivo, La Voz Del Pueblo, El Mañana Video 1, El Mañana Video 2