Authorities in a northern Mexico border city say that a man and three young girls ages 4, 13, and 14 were shot to death by a gang of gunmen.
The assault took place in Ciudad Juarez, a city in northern Chihuahua state, and allegedly 123 used bullet casings were found at the scene, reported KRON4.
Authorities have also indicated that another man was kidnapped by the gunmen from the family’s home where the incident occurred.
The gang then fled the scene.
The motive is unclear. However, the incident is reportedly the latest in a series of attacks in which children have been killed as a result of their parents being targeted.
It has been said that shooters were once careful not to include children in attacks that targeted parents, it would appear, however, that things have changed.
It was the latest in a series of children’s deaths in Mexico. Gunmen in Mexico were once relatively careful about not hitting children in targeted killings of adults. That is apparently no longer the case. https://t.co/LPF56SO0V7
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) August 27, 2019
Calls to Label Mexican Cartels as Terror Groups
With the homicide rate in Mexico rising at a record-setting pace this year, more than 30,000 murders have been recorded in the first seven months.
It’s on target to hit almost 51,500 deaths by year’s end—about 1,000 more than in 2018 and 6,000 more than in 2017. That’s not accounting for the significant number of disappearances.
Cartel wars are causing bloodshed at the border, as well as in large port areas and major drug production areas.
Tamaulipas state, which borders Texas, has a U.S. State Department Level 4 travel advisory, which is a “do not travel” warning—the same as that given to Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan.
Derek Maltz, is the former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) special operations division.
He is advocating for the State Department to label some Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.
Such a designation, he said, would help focus resources and give broader legal authority to target and prosecute cartels.
“Obviously, law enforcement authorities alone have not been sufficient to address the cartel threat to America,” Maltz said.
“(Cartels) are causing more death and destruction than any other organization, in the history of my life, to America.”
Mexico’s Murder Rate Went up by a Third in 2018
Mexico’s homicide rate has jumped by a third in the last year, pushing it up into the top dozen most murderous countries in the world, with four people killed every hour.
It is the second year in a row that the homicide rate has broken previous records. Information from the Interior Ministry listed 33,341 murder cases last year, compared to 25,036 in 2017.
With Mexico’s population pushing 130 million, that brings the annual murder rate to around 25 murders per 100,000 people, in comparison to approximately five homicides per 100,000 people in the United States.
The 33,341 cases do not include the category of “culpable homicide,” which adds another 17,000 deaths.
Mexico’s rising death rate pushes it higher, and for the first time this year, it will be listed in the top 20 countries experiencing the highest homicide prevalence rates, according to the World Economic Forum.
Charlotte Cuthbertson and Simon Veazy and contributed to this report
