Cartel gunmen shot and killed a radio crew and several bystanders during a series of attacks on businesses throughout Ciudad Juarez. Authorities note 11 murders and several cars and businesses set on fire in a span of 10 hours. The violence is attributed to a cartel turf war that began inside a local prison.
The mass killing of the media workers took place Thursday evening in the north side of Ciudad Juarez in the Pradera Dorada neighborhood, where Alan Gonzalez, a radio host for Switch 105.9 FM was broadcasting a segment, Milenio reported. According to local news outlets, Gonzalez had been a host for most of his professional life and was well-liked by colleagues.
Gonzalez and three of his coworkers were broadcasting outside a local pizza shop when cartel gunmen shot at them before storming the business, targeting customers. The gunmen killed the media workers and injured four other nearby victims. In a separate attack at a convenience store, gunmen shot two women, La Verdad reported.
The violence began earlier in the day inside a Chihuahua State Prison during a riot involving the Chapos and Mexicles, said Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The two cells are enforcement wings of the Sinaloa Cartel but have been at odds for some time.
The riot broke out at around 1 pm at the #3 CERESO state prison, when inmates from Los Chapos were attacked by the Mexicles, El Universal reported. Two inmates died by gunfire, while 20 others sustained injuries.
As authorities tried to take control of the prison, members of the Mexicles cell began carrying out random attacks throughout the city as a way to keep police forces busy, El Universal reported.
According to La Verdad, prison guards allegedly allowed gunmen to enter the facility just before the riot. Hours later, social media messages signed by Fuerzas Especiales Mexicles issued a threat to local police and claimed that they had sold out to the Chapiza and would be targeted as a result.
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.