Tragedy Strikes: Guatemalan Migrants Killed, Others Injured in Mexico Near U.S. Border
Two Guatemalan migrants lost their lives, while three more, along with a Honduran man, sustained injuries in a shooting incident in northern Mexico, close to the U.S. border. The incident seemingly involved Mexican army soldiers.
Prosecutors in the northern state of Chihuahua have disclosed that the army has handed over four soldiers to assist in the investigation. However, it has not been confirmed if they are formal suspects in the still-unclear shooting that took place on Monday.
According to the survivors’ accounts, they were traveling in a truck, equipped with a ladder, with the intention of reaching the U.S. border wall. Sadly, they came under gunfire. Fortunately, the injuries sustained by the four wounded migrants, primarily to their legs, did not appear to be life-threatening.
In an effort to shed light on the incident, the army also provided four rifles for testing. A fifth soldier who was reportedly in the patrol vehicle remains unaccounted for.
Prosecutor Carlos Manuel Salas reported that the shooting incident occurred near the Santa Teresa border crossing, located to the west of Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas. He noted that the army routinely conducts patrols in the area.
Salas explained, “This is a patrolled area, and that is why there was this encounter with the soldiers, who were doing their traditional patrolling.” The circumstances surrounding the shooting still remain unclear.
In previous shooting incidents in northern Mexico, Mexican army troops have claimed that they opened fire on suspicious vehicles or those that refused to stop.
Salas revealed that the case would be handed over to federal prosecutors due to its involvement of federal forces.
It’s worth noting that Mexican National Guard officers and state police have been implicated in past shootings of migrants.