A family was attacked by gunmen in Guaymas, Sonora. At least three people died in the shooting and five others were wounded.
On Sunday at 10 AM, an armed attack against a vehicle was reported. At least 10 people were traveling in the vehicle. Four of those wounded are between 2 and 15 years-old.
During the shooting, the driver, and two other passengers died; one of the victims was a 9-year-old girl.
According to authorities, one of the fatal victims was Juan Francisco, also known as “El Brujo.” He had a criminal record that includes crimes against health and attempted homicide.
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The vehicle the family was traveling in did not have a license plate.
After the attack, state authorities said federal, state, and municipal authorities were working to find those behind the shooting.
Municipal police, the navy, the National Guard, state police, and the Criminal Investigation Agency arrived at the scene.
Violence in Sonora
In Mexico, violence and crime have soared in recent months despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The most recent crime was registered on June 20 when authorities found 10 bodies in Caborca, Sonora. The chilling discovery could be linked to the violent incident registered nearby on June 19.
It is said that the men were kidnapped by a group of gunmen who wreaked havoc in Caborca for several hours.
In regards to the series of attacks registered in Caborca, sources said gunmen shot homes, kidnapped several people, and set vehicles and a gas station on fire. The violent attacks were the result of a turf war between two rival criminal organizations.
Caborca inhabitants reported up to 100 vehicles transporting gunmen and shared images and videos that showed gunmen driving through the city. Locals also took to social media to report shootings in Caborca, Puerto Libertad, Puerto Lobos, and Pitiquito.
Through social media, locals requested help from the army, National Guard, state police, and municipal police but they arrived several hours later.
After the deadly attack, authorities deployed federal, state, and local forces in the area.
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Similar attacks
On November 5, 2019, a criminal group ambushed and killed six children and three women from the LeBarón family, a Mexican-American Mormon community.
The deadly attack took place in a road between Chihuahua and Sonora states, in the Bavispe community.
After the massacre, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo explained that the LeBarón family was traveling in three trucks from Galeana, in Chihuahua, to Bavispe, in Sonora around 1 p.m. when the Mormon family was ambushed and massacred by an armed group.
Days after the attack, Julián LeBarón told EL UNIVERSAL that the Mormon community didn't receive help from state authorities from Chihuahua and Sonora and explained that it was the LeBarón family, with the support of the Federal Police and the Army, who arrived at the crime scene where they found a baby alive inside one of the cars. LeBarón said the community will continue to live in Mexico.
In 2010, two members of the Chihuahua Mormon community, including one from the LeBarón family, were killed in apparent revenge after security forces tracked drug cartel members. In Mexico, the Mormon community has suffered widespread kidnappings.
In January 2020, EL UNIVERSAL reported that a 13-year-old American child was killed after the vehicle where she and her family were traveling in came under fire on a highway in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
The attack took place in Tamaulipas, one of the most violent states in Mexico. Sources said the family was traveling on an isolated road at night.
According to reports, the gunmen told the family to stop but when they failed to follow their instructions, the armed men crashed against them and shot them.
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