A member of the Mexican safety forces stands subsequent to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and a number of other bullet holes, on the crime scene the place gunmen kidnapped 4 U.S. residents who crossed into Mexico from Texas, Friday, March 3, 2023. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador mentioned the 4 Individuals had been going to purchase drugs and had been caught within the crossfire between two armed teams after that they had entered Matamoros, throughout from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday. Related Press
4 Individuals had been kidnapped after crossing the border from Texas to Mexico on Friday, as reported beforehand by the Deseret Information.
The group from South Carolina included 33-year-old Latavia Washington McGee and her shut buddies Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams. All drove collectively into Matamoros, Mexico, in a white van with North Carolina plates for a medical process.
Barbara Burgess, the mom of McGee, contacted the police when her daughter missed her physician’s appointment on Friday, per CNN. McGee is the mom of six youngsters who vary in age from 6 to 18 years outdated.
Zalandria Brown has additionally been involved with the FBI after studying that her brother was a type of kidnapped, per The Related Press.
“This is sort of a dangerous dream you would like you may get up from,” she informed AP. “To see a member of your loved ones thrown at the back of a truck and dragged, it's simply unbelievable.”
On Sunday, the U.S. authorities supplied a reward of $50,000 for the protected return of the residents and the identification of the abductors.
Quickly after crossing into Matamoros, the van got here beneath assault with gunfire from an unknown gunman and all 4 Individuals had been pulled from the automotive and put at the back of a automobile, mentioned the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.
The AP reported that a video posted on social media confirmed the incident taking place in broad daylight by males in tan physique armor with assault weapons driving a white pickup truck. Of the 4 Individuals one could be seen sitting up, whereas the others had been laying on the bottom — just one different lifted their head.
An harmless Mexican bystander was killed within the confrontation, per USA Immediately.
The group was mentioned to have been touring for somebody within the group to get a medical process, per CNN. “Medical tourism” has attracted vacationers to the realm previously however has since grow to be extra harmful because the Gulf drug cartel has arrange headquarters there.
A journey advisory for the Matamoros space is beneath impact for “crime and kidnapping” the place “closely armed members of prison teams” patrol typically close to the border.