A chase and confrontation between security forces and armed civilians, which lasted for almost an hour and extended into municipalities in Oaxaca and Veracruz, took place on Wednesday night on the borders of both states and left several people dead, the official number of which has not been confirmed by authorities in either state, but which could rise to 10, according to police sources.
The confrontation was confirmed to EL UNIVERSAL by the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Oaxaca (FGEO), a law enforcement agency that told this media that so far, 12 hours after the events, there is no official information on what happened; however, it detailed that the fatalities were recorded while the confrontation was taking place on the Veracruz side.
“The Oaxaca Attorney General’s Office, so far, has no victims to investigate,” said the social communication area after being consulted about the confrontation that extended on the highway from Acatlán to Cosoloapa.
According to preliminary information, the confrontation involved police, marines and soldiers, who exchanged gunfire for a long period against heavily armed civilians on the borders of Tezonapa, Veracruz, and Cosolapa, Oaxaca.
Initial reports indicate that the confrontation broke out after an intense chase between armed civilians and members of the Mexican Navy. It was around 10:30 p.m. when personnel from the Navy asked the occupants of a gray Nissan pickup truck to get out of the vehicle and instead they accelerated and escaped, which unleashed the chase and shootout that covered several kilometers, starting in Tezonapa and ending in Cosolapa around 11:35 p.m.
According to photographs and videos shared through social networks, after the confrontation, vehicles with bullet impacts can be seen, and members of the security forces guarding the area from the violent events.
Veracruz government denies the events
Around noon on Thursday, the Veracruz Security Secretariat confirmed that the events were recorded in the municipality of Cosolapa, Oaxaca and confirmed that there was news of “several gunshots in the state of Oaxaca and according to the information corroborated so far with the National Guard, a truck was found in the area with several gunshot wounds, which was placed at the disposal of the FGE.”
The Veracruz government assures that the existence of victims at the scene of the events “that occurred between private individuals” is not confirmed and that it maintains patrols in the area on the side of Tezonapa, Veracruz and the border with that municipality, with coordinated federal and state forces from both entities.
Source: eluniversal
