A wave of violence in one of the most dangerous cities in the world recently emerged. Ciudad Juarez, known for its crime against women and the insecurity it goes through, just had 12 reported murders in a span of fewer than two hours.
On Wednesday, killers broke into homes and had a gunfight on the streets, leaving more than two dozen dead and a couple more injured. Four men died in a mechanical workshop, three more on the streets, and others while they were getting to the hospital.
Authorities believe the crimes are related to criminal groups, in which apparently firearms exclusively for the army were used. The 12 murders were only the beginning of the wave of blood that started later.
According to the newspaper, El Mexicano, 15 homicides occurred on Thursday and ten on Friday. “We are busy and worried without a doubt. We have various interpretations of what happened and what is happening,” Ciudad Juarez Mayor, Armando Cabada, told reporters on Friday.
“Officials are investigating which criminal groups are involved,” Cabada said in a Facebook video. During the drug cartel war in 2010, deaths in Ciudad Juarez surpassed the 3,000 mark.
Federal, State, and City Police are coordinating strategies to deal with the upsurge in violence, officials said. The Business Insider ranked Ciudad Juarez the 37th most dangerous city in the world with 43.63 homicides per 100,000.
“I remember walking the streets of Ciudad Juarez and wondering whether the city of my childhood was dying,” Alfredo Corchado, a Dallas Morning News contributor and author said.
This article was inspired by El Paso Times // 12 murders in two hours among dozens killed as wave of violence strikes Juárez