Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN
This is the moment a hitman opens fire on the passengers of a pickup truck at point-blank range in traffic as his accomplices film him in an area known for cartel violence.
The incident took place at the junction of the main roads of Juan Pablo II and Francisco Villarreal Torres in the city of Ciudad Juarez, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua and was recorded by the group of alleged hitmen.
In the video, a man can be seen walking up to a red pickup truck in traffic before walking to the side of the vehicle and opening fire with a pistol.
He fires over ten shots into the car before running back to the vehicle where the scenes are being recorded from. The driver quickly pulls a u-turn and speeds away from the scene.
Local media report a man identified as Juan Carlos Talamantes, 20, and a woman named as Mariana Estrada Arellano, 18, whose relationship was not mentioned, were killed as a result of the shooting.
Local media report the unnamed driver of the pickup truck managed to drive away off-camera but then lost control of the vehicle due to injuries sustained during the shooting and ended up crashing into a tree next to the Bravo river.
The Mayor of the city Hector Armando Cabada said that the gunman had been identified and the prosecution is investigating the case. It is currently unclear why the victims were targeted.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that 80 percent of the homicides committed in the country 2019 were carried out in 10 states, one of them being Chihuahua where according to the National Security System’s data 2,275 murders were committed between January and November 2019.
Reports state Chihuahua is one of three states which make up the ‘Triangulo Dorado’ (Golden Triangle), an area known for its marijuana and opium poppy fields.
The General Prosecution report the Sinaloa Cartel, formerly led by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, and the Juarez Cartel operate in the area.
However, the Cartel Jalisco New Generation are now reportedly fighting to gain some control in the area.
No arrests have been reported.
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