Update: U.S. Girl, 7, Among Six Dead in Matamoros Violence as Mexico Sends 450 Troops
The Tamaulipas governor says authorities are examining whether a shot from a state police helicopter killed the child. Relatives say security forces fired from a helicopter.
See where this is ›MATAMOROS, Mexico —
Six people died in the violence that followed the Oct. 29 arrest of a suspected Gulf Cartel figure in Matamoros, Mexico, among them a 7-year-old U.S. citizen, Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said Saturday, Mexico News Daily reported. Mexico's Defense Ministry has sent 450 troops and two helicopters to Matamoros and other towns in the state.
See where this is ›The child, Aranza Adailini, died after being shot in an incident that also injured her mother, the governor said. She was reportedly struck in the head while riding in an SUV with relatives.
Villarreal said authorities are examining whether officers in a state police helicopter fired the shot. “The death of a girl deeply pains us and what happened must be clarified,” he said. Relatives claim security forces fired from a helicopter.
The other five deaths came in two crashes in which vehicles hit burning cars that had been set up as roadblocks, according to the report.
The federal Security Cabinet said in a statement Friday that “coordinated actions” had removed the roadblocks and that the deployment aims at “preventing criminal activity and ensuring the peace and safety of Tamaulipas families.” Mexico News Daily said the statement did not mention the deaths of the girl or the crash victims.
Federal forces detained Axel Alfredo Cárdenas Rodríguez, allegedly second-in-command of the Gulf Cartel's Cyclones faction, and another man who was not identified. The two were flown to Mexico City and handed to the organized crime division of the Federal Attorney General's Office. Security forces also seized firearms, ammunition, drugs and a vehicle.
What we don't know yet: Who fired the shot that killed the child has not been established, and the investigation's findings have not been reported. Watchman News found this account in one outlet and could not independently confirm it. The report did not say whether churches or ministries in the area were affected.
