Toddlers in Mexico hide during drug cartel shooting

Terrified young children, teachers and parents in the Mexican state of Chiapas were forced to hide under their desks as drug cartel members clashed outside in a violent shootout. The intense fighting comes as rival drug cartels continue to fight for control of Mexico’s southern border.

The shooting took place outside the Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez school in Benemerito de Las Americas, Chiapas, Mexico. Process reported. A video shared by local journalists captured the moment a large group of gunmen jumped out of trucks and began shooting at their rivals in the street.

Next we see a scene in a school office, where staff and parents are sitting near the walls and benches, while a large gun battle can be heard outside.

In the short video, a woman tells a young girl, “Don’t cry… come here.” The recording also captures the scene where a man carries a young girl and places her behind a metal desk.

The shooting was just one in a long line of shootings this week in Chiapas, where smaller criminal organizations like Los Machetes, affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel or the Jalisco New Generation cartel, have waged a fierce turf war. The fighting stems from control of drug trafficking routes into Mexico, as the Chiapas jungles have numerous secret airstrips used by drug traffickers to transport shipments of cocaine.

Despite Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador’s rhetoric about restoring peace and ending impunity, military and police officials have been highly ineffective in stopping the fighting.

Local journalists and human rights groups have reported cases of forced conscription by drug cartels targeting young men. In addition, residents of several small communities in Chiapas have been forced to flee their homes due to increasing violence.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist at Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and further FacebookHe can be reached at [email protected].

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 FacebookHe can be reached at [email protected].