A shootout inside a shopping mall in western Mexico caused widespread panic as shoppers sought cover or tried to run away. The shootout comes as state and federal authorities fail to address widespread cartel violence in the state of Michoacan and suspicions cloud its governor who is related to various cartel leaders.
The shootout occurred on Friday afternoon at the Las Americas Plaza shopping center in Morelia, Michoacan. According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Michoacan Attorney General’s Office, the shootout occurred shortly after 5 p.m. in the mall’s parking lot.
Ante el reporte de detonaciones de arma de fuego en Plaza Las Américas, en Morelia, desplegamos un operativo de seguridad en conjunto con autoridades de los tres órdenes. #HonestidadyTrabajo pic.twitter.com/JuWK2vbZf3
— SSP MICHOACÁN (@SSeguridad_Mich) July 14, 2023
The sound of gunfire caused widespread panic among shoppers who sought cover. Cell phone videos shared on social media captured the chaos inside the mall.
#AlMomento| Se desata tiroteo y persecución en la plaza comercial Las Américas de #Morelia, #Michoacán; hasta el momento, se reporta de una persona fallecida. pic.twitter.com/mCHjCTeD8A
— Alberto Perez (@albertoperezrp) July 14, 2023
What happened during the shooting remains unclear, but according to authorities, when police responded they found two bodies. Officials identified the decedents as a local attorney named Francisco “N” and a Michoacan state police officer assigned as his bodyguard named Diego “N.” A crime scene photograph shared on social media revealed that Diego was carrying his holstered duty weapon and a radio at the time of the shooting.
ACTUALIZACIÓN | Se reportan dos personas fallecidas tras un ataque armado en el interior de la plaza Las Américas en Morelia, Michoacán pic.twitter.com/ZfhRtdssKO
— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) July 14, 2023
Soon after the shooting at the mall, a public transportation vehicle pulled up to a local hospital with four wounded individuals including one who died after arrival. State authorities have not released the name of the patients or if they took part in the shooting.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Michoacan’s current Governor Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla is the nephew and cousin of two top drug dealers currently serving time in U.S. prisons. For several years, Michoacan has been a hotspot of cartel violence as rival cartels, drug gangs, and self-defense groups fight for control of clandestine drug production facilities and lucrative cocaine smuggling routes into Mexico.
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.
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