A group of gunmen ambushed and killed a local police commander and one of his officers in the Mexican border state of Sonora. The gunmen fired more than one hundred rounds into the victim’s vehicle causing catastrophic injuries that left the two men disfigured.
The assassination took place over the weekend in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, in the municipality of Cajeme. A group of gunmen shot and killed Commander Jesús Alberto Navarro Velarde who was riding a police vehicle with Jorge Alberto Galingo Ayon. The attack occurred in the northern part of the city.
According to local news outlets, the gunmen fired several barrages of gunfire. The attack went on for several minutes. Crime scene photographs revealed that the gunfire severely disfigured the bodies and faces of the two lawmen.
While authorities have not revealed suspects or a motive for the murder, the State of Sonora is considered one of the main strongholds of the Sinaloa Cartel. In recent years, that criminal organization experienced several cases of infighting within various factions and cells.
Cajeme is considered one of the deadliest cities in the world. It ranks number three with 138.28 homicides per 100,000 in population, the local newspaper El Sol de Hermosillo reported quoting Mexican government crime statistics.
In the aftermath of the murder, Mayor Javier Lamarque and other top officials held a funeral ceremony for the two lawmen where they bid farewell to them with full police honors. Authorities have not made any arrests in the case.
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.