National Guard Kills Agent of Sonora Attorney General's Office; Claims To Have Mistaken Him For Cartel Suspect

“MX” for Borderland Beat

Elements of the National Guard (GN) killed Jose Ramon Reyes, 36, an official of the Sonora Attorney General’s Office in Caborca municipality. They also injured his sister Veronica Reyes, 25. Reports say that the GN confused them for a cartel cell that owns a similar vehicle.

The events occurred on Wednesday evening on a dirt road that leads to San Isidro rural community. At the scene, elements of the GN fired at least seven times at the Tahoe truck in which the victims were traveling.

On Twitter, the GN issued a statement confirming that the troops involved in the attack were detained and under investigation.

“The GN reiterates that abuses or excessive use of force by its personnel will not be tolerated”, the statement read.

Pictures of the scene that circulated on social media showed the SUV had been shot through the windshield. Reyes was killed instantly and his sister was treated at a nearby hospital after she was shot on the arm.

Sonoran authorities and Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said that they would investigate the incident but did not issue any further statements.

As reported by Borderland Beat, much of the violence in Sonora is driven by conflicts between several factions of the Sinaloa Cartel and local drug groups like La Plaza and/or the Caborca Cartel. This turf is a strategic location for drug trafficking given its proximity to the US state of Arizona.

For several months, criminal groups have been competing for control of the Sonoran municipalities of Caborca, Sonoyta, Pitiquito and Altar. They also want control of the Santa Ana-Magdalena-Ímuris corridor in the north and the Guaymas-Empalme-Cajeme corridor in the south.

Sources: Proceso; El Imparcial; Milenio; Aristegui Noticias; XEVT; InfoRoja_MX (Images)