Investigation into teen murders at Mexico quinceañera continues in Juárez

Mexican cartels fight in Ojinaga region on Texas border

Five teens killed in shooting on girl’s 15th birthday
Cartel fights leave multiple dead
Mexican Military Special Forces Train State Police SWAT Team

An investigation is underway into a shooting that left five teenagers dead during a quinceañera party at a home in Juárez over the weekend, a police official in Chihuahua state said.

The party was underway when two groups of teenagers began fighting and more than 20 shots were fired Saturday night, Sept. 7, at a home in the San Felipe del Real neighborhood west of downtown Juárez, neighbors told El Heraldo de Juárez. The victims were between 14 and 19 years old.

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The investigation into the multiple murder is progressing with witness statements and analysis of cell phone video footage and footage from the Centinela (sentinel) network of public security cameras, said Luis Aguirre, chief of staff of the Chihuahua state police, during a press conference on Monday, September 9.

According to Aguirre, investigators have gathered specific details about the case and arrests are expected in the coming days.

A quinceañera is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday. Traditionally, this celebration marks her transition to adulthood.

The shooting came as Juárez has seen a decline in homicides, with 75 homicides reported in August, the lowest monthly number so far in 2024.

Mexican cartel battle heats up Ojinaga border

Chihuahua state police and Mexican army reinforcements have been deployed to carry out checks and increase patrols after six people were killed and a police officer wounded in a series of gunfights in the Ojinaga border region on Sunday, state police officials said.

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The bodies were found along with bullet-damaged vehicles in several locations around Ojinaga, a border town across the Rio Grande from Presidio, Texas.

According to authorities, state forces were also sent to the nearby towns of Coyame del Sotol and Manuel Benavides in Chihuahua.

State police seized a burned Chevrolet Avalanche with no license plates, a Land Rover and Jeep Rubicon, both with Texas plates, and a Ford F-150 with no plates, officials said. Police also found two “Devil’s Coffin“rifles (a nickname for the AK-47 rifle), two smoke grenades, a bulletproof vest and two backpacks full of ammunition.

There are rumors that the fighting was an attempt by cartel members to drive rival drug traffickers away from a section of the border traditionally controlled by the Juárez drug cartel.

New state police, military groups formed

New task forces made up of Chihuahua state police, members of the Mexican army and the National Guard have begun tackling serious crimes, Public Security Undersecretary Gilberto Loya said at a news conference on Monday.

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The first group will consist of military and police crime analysts based in Juárez and Chihuahua City. The second group will combine detectives with military personnel focused on investigations, Loya said.

The third group is made up of the State Police SWAT team, which carries out specialized operations and interventions with the assistance and training of special units of the Mexican Army and the National Guard.

It is the first time that special units from the Mexican National Guard and army have trained with the state police SWAT team as part of larger strategies to combat violent crime, Loya said.