Cartel shooting leaves 6 dead near Texas border

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office regarding the number of victims.

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Six people were killed and several vehicles were targeted in gun battles between organized crime groups Sunday night and Monday morning just south of the Texas-Mexico border, Chihuahua state police said.

“We are strengthening security to ensure the safety of the people of Ojinaga, Coyame and Manuel Benavides,” said Luis Aguirre, chief of staff of the state police. “We have at least four dead and another wounded by gunfire.”

State police seized four abandoned vehicles, including a Chevrolet Avalanche, a Ford F-150 pickup, a Jeep Rubicon and a Land Rover — the latter two with Texas plates. They also found a burned-out vehicle, the make of which was not immediately known. Two AK-47 rifles, two smoke grenades and assorted ammunition were also seized.

Ojinaga, the largest of the three communities, is across the border from Presidio, Texas, and about 200 miles southeast of Juarez, Mexico. There, police found four bodies Monday. Later in the day, the Chihuahua attorney general’s office confirmed that two more bodies were found near Manuel Benavides, a Mexican town about 20 miles southwest of Terlingua, Texas.

State police officials say they are investigating numerous social media posts allegedly made by members of the groups involved in the gun battles, but they would not comment on a motive.

Ojinaga and Coyame have been the scene of killings in recent years linked to a battle between two cartels – La Linea and Sinaloa – for control of the migrant smuggling industry.

One such incident in late 2021 involved the disappearance of 13 Mexican migrants headed to the United States. Authorities found the bodies of 11 of the missing in a mass grave.

In May, five taxi drivers went missing after dropping off migrants they had picked up in Chihuahua City at different locations in Ojinaga. A few days later, police found their half-naked bodies abandoned on the side of a highway near Chihuahua City. They all had gunshot wounds.

According to authorities in the state of Chihuahua, members of La Linea were suspected of the killings.

Aguirre said state police have sent additional officers to the area and the Mexican military has also sent soldiers.

Separately, Aguirre said police are continuing to investigate the killings of two minors and three young adults. quinceañera party in Juarez on Saturday night.

“We have made significant progress in the investigation. We continue to record testimonies (from witnesses) and videos (from cell phones) and videos from surveillance cameras,” he said, declining to speculate on a possible motive.

The shooting took place in the San Felipe del Real neighborhood of West Juarez. Gunmen arrived at a home on Calle Marcelo Caraveo and opened fire on nine teenagers and young adults outside a home where the party was taking place. Three minors and two adults were killed and four others were wounded.

Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui told reporters in Chihuahua City Monday that the shooting was gang-related.