Riots erupted in Western Mexico where protesters set fire to one police officer and physically clashed with several others. Rioters also set fire to multiple police vehicles. The incidents were not over the BLM protests in America, but to protest the death of a local day laborer who was allegedly killed by police for not wearing a coronavirus mask.
The riots began on Thursday evening in Guadalajara, Jalisco, when hundreds of protesters took to the streets demanding justice over the death of Alejandro Giovanni Lopez at the hands of local police officers in May.
One protester can be seen in a video recorded during the riot throwing flammable liquid on a police officer and setting him on fire. While the fire was quickly put out, the violence continued into the night.
During the riots, the officers torched numerous police vehicles and spray-painted various government buildings. Government officials did not release any statistics regarding injuries or arrests during the riots.
On Thursday, Jalisco Attorney General Gerardo Solis Gomez revealed in a televised news conference that several police officers from the town of Ixtlahuacan were under investigation for the possible charges of homicide and abuse of power.
According to state officials, the police officers arrested Lopez on May 4 for an administrative violation. While state officials did not reveal the violation behind the arrest, relatives claim it was for not wearing a coronavirus facemask. Police officers are believed to have beaten and tortured Lopez until he eventually died. One of Lopez’s relatives took a video of the arrest and shared it on social media where the police officers can be seen striking the day laborer.
After the murder, the victim’s relatives claim that the town mayor offered them $200,000 pesos to remain silent and then threatened them. According to Jalisco’s Attorney General, the mayor is expected to go before investigators on Friday.
During the week, the case gained national attention in Mexico and even Oscar-winning director Guillermo Del Toro took to social media to demand justice and to invite the public to protest.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
Tony Aranda from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report