CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico — In the violence-stricken border city of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas, human rights advocates and family members have attributed the recent deaths of a nurse and an 8-year-old girl to the actions of army and National Guard personnel.
The relatives explained that the victims were reportedly caught in the crossfire during clashes involving suspected drug cartel vehicles being chased by military patrols. For years, Nuevo Laredo has been under the grip of the Northeast Cartel, which is a splinter group of the infamous Zetas gang.
A statement issued by the Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee on Sunday revealed that yet another civilian lost their life during a separate military chase in the same city. The National Guard operates as a military-trained force under the supervision of the Defense Department.
Authorities in the Tamaulipas region, where Nuevo Laredo is located, have declined to confirm or deny the three incidents that unfolded over the weekend. Requests for comments from federal prosecutors and the Defense Department have gone unanswered.
Should these shootings be substantiated, it would mark the second instance within two weeks where military forces in Mexico have been implicated in civilian deaths. This incident would also raise the total number of minors killed in confrontations involving military personnel to three, including an 11-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who were among the six migrants reportedly killed by soldiers on October 1 in Chiapas.
The first incident in Nuevo Laredo occurred late on Friday night, when a nurse, along with her husband and son, found themselves on a roadway where military personnel were pursuing vehicles suspected of being involved in criminal activities.
Víctor Carrillo Martínez, the victim’s spouse, recounted to local media that there was a confrontation, resulting in his wife being killed “in the crossfire.” He lamented that soldiers who passed by their car provided no assistance, commenting, “They went as if nothing had happened.”
According to the Rights Committee, the 46-year-old nurse suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Carrillo Martínez stated that medical staff informed him that the bullets used were of large caliber, typically issued to military personnel.
The following day, on Saturday, an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother were en route to a stationery shop when they became unintentionally embroiled in a pursuit involving military forces chasing suspected criminals.
The grandmother shared her harrowing experience with the press, describing how a military vehicle was chasing an SUV, which led to their car being caught in the crossfire. “When I looked, the car was covered in blood,” she recounted. “I looked at the girl and I said, ‘she’s bleeding out.’”
Despite her frantic cries for help from the soldiers, she stated that they did not stop to assist her. There is some confusion regarding the identity of the personnel involved; while the grandmother referred to them as soldiers, her daughter asserted they were National Guard officers.
This mix-up is understandable, given that the National Guard, established in 2019 under a civilian facade, is primarily staffed by former military personnel who receive military training. In September, the command of this force was transferred to the military, and they often operate in military attire.
In a separate incident, the Rights Committee reported that the tortured body of a young man was discovered in a vehicle that had been the target of a chase involving the army and National Guard. Notably, no weapons were located in that vehicle.
The former president, who left office on September 30, had greatly expanded the military’s role in public safety and law enforcement. This included the establishment of the militarized National Guard to serve as a primary law enforcement body, sidelining local police forces.
Critics emphasize that the military lacks the necessary training for civilian law enforcement duties. The army has faced scrutiny in connection with previous civilian deaths in Nuevo Laredo, a place where violent confrontations frequently escalate. Earlier in 2023, the Defense Department announced that 16 soldiers were being prosecuted for their involvement in the killing of five individuals in the same area.
A high-profile case from May 18, 2023, involved the killing of five men, which was captured on surveillance footage so disturbing that it led to even the former president labeling it an apparent “execution.”
Raymundo Ramos, the head of the Rights Committee, pointed out the alarming extent of the military’s power, stating, “The armed forces continue to have very large powers, very strong and above any civilian authority.” He expressed concern that it seems almost no one is willing to challenge the military’s authority in Mexico.
The first shootings under new President Claudia Sheinbaum occurred on October 1, coinciding with her inauguration day, near Tapachula, a hotspot for migrant smugglers and conflict with warring drug cartels. Soldiers at that event reported hearing “detonations” and fired upon a truck carrying migrants from several nations, leading to six deaths and ten injuries.
This incident was particularly notable as it represented one of the deadliest attacks on migrants by authorities in Mexico since 2021 when police killed 17 migrants in Tamaulipas.