Four Mexican soldiers in Nuevo Laredo shot and murdered five persons in a pickup truck, according to Mexico’s human rights committee.
The shootings on February 26 have been referred to civilian and military prosecutors. Typically, the National Human Rights Commission pulls aside when cases are prosecuted.
Mexican Soldiers Violated Victims’ Rights
While charges have not yet been issued, the committee took the extraordinary step of producing a report late Tuesday claiming that four of the twenty-one troops on patrol that morning opened fire.
According to the investigation, these four troops violated the men’s rights by using unnecessary force.
The report stated the soldiers pursued the truck in the predawn hours on the basis of a mere “suspicion” and did not follow the correct protocol when confronting the vehicle.
“Without vocal commands to stop, one soldier opened fire on the rear of the private vehicle, while three other soldiers did the same in support.
As soon as the shootings occurred, the Defense Department confirmed that soldiers had opened fire on the truck and stated that it was assisting civilian prosecutors in their investigation of the murders.
In the pre-dawn hours, according to the agency, the soldiers heard gunfire and approached a truck without license plates or lights after hearing gunfire.
“The occupants accelerated in a hasty and evasive manner upon noticing the army personnel,” according to the statement.
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Troops Explain Their Side
The troops said that the pickup then hit a parked automobile after hitting it at high speed. Soldiers said that they started shooting when they heard the crash. The soldiers didn’t say whether they thought the noise was a gunshot or not.
There was no indication in the crime scene reports that any firearms were located in the car after the shootings, and according to the human rights committee, there was no proof that any rounds were fired at the army patrol.
The commission recommended that the case be prosecuted and that the families of the victims get compensation.
Nuevo Laredo is ruled by the deadly Northeast drug cartel, a branch of the former Zetas gang. Several times, highly armed cartel gunmen in Nuevo Laredo have opened fire on soldiers and marines.
In the past, military personnel has also violated human rights in this city. The 2014 anti-crime operations in Nuevo Laredo resulted in the disappearance of 30 individuals. In 2021, Mexico’s navy turned over 30 marines to civilian prosecutors to face justice.
Marines were accused of collecting up alleged suspects, of whom some were never heard from again. In Nuevo Laredo, scores of individuals vanished in 2018.
In accordance with Mexican law, only cases involving violations of the military code may be handled by military courts, while offenses against civilians must be punished in civilian courts.
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