Gunmen shot and killed a Mexican congressman while injuring two of his staffers in Michoacán. Authorities later arrested the two suspected assassins.
The murder took place on Tuesday morning as Congressman Erick Juarez Blanquet was riding in an SUV along Morelos Avenue in the northern part of Morelia, information released by the state public security office revealed. Two gunmen riding in a motorcycle pulled up to the vehicle and fired several times.
Mantenemos despliegue operativo con #PolicíaMichoacán tras hechos donde fue privado de la vida el diputado Erik Juárez Blanquet, y dos personas más quedaron lesionadas, en Av. Morelos Norte de la ciudad de Morelia.
— SSP MICHOACÁN (@MICHOACANSSP) March 10, 2020
Juarez Blanquet, a congressman for the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD), was riding in the passenger side of an SUV with his driver and an aide-bodyguard at the time. The gunmen sped off on a motorcycle to avoid capture. By the time paramedics arrived, Juarez Blanquet died but emergency medical personnel tended to the staffers.
According to updated information from Michoacán’s State Police, authorities set up manhunts in Morelia and apprehended two suspects, seized a handgun and a motorcycle.
Derivado de la acción operativa en Morelia, detuvimos a dos masculinos y aseguramos una motocicleta abandonada y un arma de fuego corta. Se realizan actuaciones para determinar si están relacionados con el homicidio del diputado Erik Juárez Blanquet.
— SSP MICHOACÁN (@MICHOACANSSP) March 10, 2020
In recent weeks Michoacán has seen a spike in violence as rival cartel factions aligned with either Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion or La Nueva Familia Michoacán/Viagras fight for control of the state’s drug production and drug trafficking routes. The turf war has led to several gruesome executions as well as several large-scale gun battles throughout the region. Michoacán state officials have worked to downplay the escalating violence to no avail.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
Jose Luis Lara from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report
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