Relatives of inmates of the prison where the confrontation began embrace outside the center /
A dispute between two rival gangs in a Ciudad Juárez jail later spilled over onto the streets, where nine “innocents” were killed, including another journalist.
Mexico experienced a new wave of violence this Thursday, this time in Ciudad Juárez. Eleven people were killed and several businesses were burned. What began as a brawl between rival gangs inside a prison later moved to the streets of this town on the border with El Paso, Texas, where nine “innocent” civilians were killed.
It all started within the walls of the Social Reintegration Center (Cereso) number 3 in Ciudad Juárez, in the state of Chihuahua. Several members of ‘Los Chapos’ attacked rival gang members of ‘Los Mexicles’. ‘Los Chapos’ is a gang linked to the almighty Sinaloa cartel, once controlled by Joaquín ‘Chapo’ Guzmán, who is now serving a life sentence in the United States. The inmates shot at each other inside the prison, killing two prisoners – it is unknown if they belonged to either of the two groups in question – and wounding another 20, according to the Undersecretary of Security, Ricardo Mejía.
After the authorities managed to quell the revolt, members of ‘Los Mexicles’ transferred the dispute to the streets of Ciudad Juárez, a municipality of 1.5 million inhabitants. “Innocent civilians were attacked as a kind of retaliation,” lamented the country’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The criminals unleashed terror. Two women were killed and another person was injured in an attack on a grocery store, which was later set on fire along with another store.
Several establishments were set on fire by the criminals, who unleashed terror in the streets of Ciudad Juárez /
Hours later, gunmen killed four people in the middle of the street. It was the announcer of a local radio, named Alan González, and three other station workers. They were broadcasting a live show in front of a pizzeria when they were murdered in cold blood. So far this year, 13 journalists have been murdered in Mexico, according to balances made by associations that defend freedom of the press.
There were three more homicides, but the authorities did not detail their circumstances. Six people were arrested for this new wave of violence.
Several sectors of the city were deserted and some universities suspended classes. The Chihuahua business association demanded that the government “act forcefully” against organized crime.