State police and Mexican Navy forces clashed with Gulf Cartel gunmen in the days following a terrorist attack which killed 15 innocent border city civilians. Gunmen roamed Reynosa, Tamaulipas, targeting innocent bystanders and motorists to spread fear as rival factions of the cartel fight for control of the region.
On Wednesday morning, citizen journalists recorded one of the clashes as state police engaged gunmen along one of the city’s main avenues.
A second video shows gunmen running through an open field as police chase and manage to arrest two.
On Saturday, gunmen rolled into the east side of Reynosa from nearby Rio Bravo and began attacking unarmed bystanders. The violence spread for several hours as state police tried to intervene. The situation was worsened since Mexico’s National Guard and Army did not engage.
The terror attack was attributed to the Ciclones and Escorpiones groups from the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel. According to Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios, Saturday’s attack was meant to cause instability in the area.
Since the shootout, Reynosa sees daily clashes as police confront gunmen on the eastern and south sides of the city. Although Mexico’s federal government deployed a large contingent of National Guardsmen to the city, they are garnering criticism for typically avoiding confrontations.
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.
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