* Due to technical difficulties, the publication of this article was delayed from its original postdate of April 3, 2013.
04/03/13 – (by gomeznathalie) On Friday, March 29, a shooting in a bar in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, called Mogavi resulted in the deaths of seven individuals−four men who were visiting the bar, and three female employees. The Chihuahua State Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado, PGJE) confirmed that with the exception of one male, a customer of the bar, all other victims have been identified as follows: Sergio Daniel López Montes, 38, Tomás Casillas Tarín, 44, and Óscar Guillermo Payán Rodríguez, Alma Aracely Miguel Quiroga, 37, Taydé Frías Muñoz, 37, and Norma Lorena Santiago González, 41.
According to El Universal, the gunman entered Mogavi, opened fire on the crowd inside the bar without saying a word, and fled the scene on foot. Witnesses reported that the suspect, who allegedly acted alone in the attack, carried an assault rifle, which one survivor identified as an AK-47 assault rifle, otherwise known as a ‘cuerno de chivo’ in Mexico. Mixed reports have emerged about whether the suspect was simply wearing a bandana to cover his face, or a Guy Fawkes mask. The Guy Fawkes mask was made popular by the character known as ‘V’ in the film “V for Vendetta” and which is currently the image associated with the internationally known hacktivist group Anonymous. Although the Mogavi shooting and Anonymous have not been linked, it is interesting to note that Anonymous’ is known in Mexico for its threat in 2011 to release the names of individuals associated with the Zeta Cartel, a threat the group did not follow through on. (To read more about that incident, click here). None of the Mogavi details have been confirmed by PGJE or by local authorities.
It is not clear whether the attack is drug-related violence as the investigations are still ongoing. However, Carlos Gonzáles, spokesman for the PGJE, said that it likely is given the nature of the weapon used in the attack. As well, Chihuahua−which is the largest Mexican state in size, the eleventh largest in population, and one of six states bordering the United States−has been the site of high levels of crime and violence due to a turf war between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels battling for control of drug trafficking routes to the United States.
Within the last year alone, according to El Universal’s article, “Chronology of Bar Attacks 2012-2013,” Chihuahua was the site of two bar shootings, one on February 19, 2012, at the El Jale bar that killed one and left eight wounded, and another on April 20, 2012, at the El Colorado bar that left 15 dead−two of whom were journalists−and four wounded.( To read more about the El Colorado bar shooting, click here). With attacks like those and the general presence of criminal organizations in Chihuahua, José Baca Jurado, the president of the Bar and Nightlife Federation of Chihuahua, had taken a strong stance against the presence of organized crime within the nightlife districts of Chihuahua. According to El Universal, Baca Jurado was assassinated on February 5 of this year.
Sources:
Cardona, Julian. “Seven Killed in Northern Mexican Bar Shooting.” Reuters. March 29, 2013.
Rivas, Carlos Coria. “Acribillan a Siete En Un Bar De Chihuahua.” Excelsior. March 30, 2013.
“Shooting at Mexico Bar Leaves Many Dead.” AlJazeera English. March 30, 2013.
Redacción. “Cronología Ataque a Bares Del País 2012-2013.” El Universal. April 1, 2013.
