Mexican Border State near Arizona Marks 19th Police Death in 2019

Two state police officers from Sonora were gunned down and two others were wounded during a cartel ambush on Sunday afternoon. For 2019, the Mexican border state abutting Arizona has now suffered 19 police deaths.

A team of state police conducting patrols in colonia Hidalgo in Ciudad Obregón was ambushed by multiple gunmen Sunday at approximately 5:20 pm. The shooters fired numerous rifle rounds from what witnesses described as a white SUV. One officer died at the scene, and the second passed in transit to a local hospital. A third officer and a civilian were wounded by errant fire. The policeman is reported to be in severe condition, according to local reports.

#Obregon #Sonora

17:20 Confirman Tras Ataque Armado:

2Elementos Ejecutados
2+ Heridos
Y También se Indica De Forma Al-1Civil También Lesionado Por Impactos de Arma de Fuego

Por Arma de Fuego En Callejón Paraguay y 6De Abril en Colonia Hidalgo… pic.twitter.com/0WIn5IN1V9

— FR4NCI5C0 L4ND3T4 (@l4nd3t4) September 23, 2019

The two dead officers were identified as Carlos Abraham S.D and Francisco G.B. The wounded officer was identified as Christian Manuell A.A.

Sonora is seeing a drastic uptick in cartel-related violence as rivals engage in turf disputes leading into the United States. A total of 1,800 Mexican National Guard personnel was deployed in early July throughout the state. The violence is attributed to a dispute between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltran Leyva organization’s regionally aligned gangs, in addition to Sinaloa Cartel infighting.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce completed work assignments in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year tour in Monterrey, Mexico, for the U.S. Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program. As the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico in charge of the Mexican states of, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas) You can follow him on Twitter or reach him at robertrarce@gmail.com.