One Cop Injured During Mexican Border City Cartel Shootout

One Mexican police officer is recovering after being injured during a shootout with cartel gunmen in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The shootout comes at a time when government officials continuously claim that the city is safe.

The Mexican border city of Matamoros is currently controlled by one faction of the Gulf Cartel which has been receiving government protection.

The shootout took place on Sunday morning on the western side of the city near the Seccion 16 neighborhood. A special tactical police unit patrolling the city spotted a gray Silverado pickup that had previously been reported stolen.

A group of Gulf Cartel gunmen who were inside the pickup began shooting at the police officers as they tried to flee the area. Several other vehicles with cartel gunmen began to flee the area and began deploying makeshift road spikes.

Additional police forces responded to the scene and one officer was shot while moving into the Santa Rita neighborhood. The clash continued spreading through various neighborhoods on the city’s western side. Residents were forced to shelter in place as some of the fighting took place right outside of their homes.

 Eventually, most of the gunmen managed to escape. The gunmen left two of their vehicles behind. The vehicles were loaded with weapons and road spikes inside. Authorities captured only one gunman.

Despite the shootout, authorities did not increase their patrolling or enforcement actions in Matamoros. The shootouts come at a time when Mexican authorities continue to claim that the border state of Tamaulipas is safe.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to Mexico City and the 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 their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza”, “Francisco Morales”, and “J.C. Sanchez” from Tamaulipas.