MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas — Once again, this border city is the scene of fierce gun battles and chases featuring high-powered weapons and grenades. The fighting apparently went unnoticed by city officials and local news outlets. While the number of casualties remains unknown, an innocent bystander was injured during a shootout.
The gun battles took place over the weekend, leading to various social media users to issue a series of alerts about areas to avoid. In border cities like Matamoros and Reynosa, average citizens have created information networks to keep up with the raging violence in the area. The informal method of disseminating the news came after government officials and news outlets kept a lid on the violence.
A helicopter flew over the city where average citizens had been going on about their lives after several weeks of apparent calm. Trucks filled with gunmen were spotted moving in convoys on the city’s western side and shootouts were reported in multiple neighborhoods.
A motorist came across blockaded roads near Roberto Guerra Avenue where authorities could be seen guarding the bodies of gunmen believed to have died in the shootouts. During the violence, at least one innocent bystander was shot near Camino Real Avenue.
Days after the fighting took place, authorities have not released any official information about the shootouts, seized vehicles, gunmen, or casualties.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza” from Tamaulipas.