According to a news account posted on the online edition of El Debate news daily, three of the four men who were killed were identified as Juan Francisco Espinoza Lopez, Sergio Enrique Ceniceros Angulo and Jonathan Atadeo Lagunes.
According to various news reports, a Mexican Naval Infantry road patrol intercepted a convoy in ejido Sinaloa de Navolato in Culican municipality, one vehicle of which was a Humvee with the victims, and exchanged gunfire with the occupants and others in the convoy.
According to a separate news account in Milenio news daily, the confrontation took place in two areas in the ejido and involved hand grenades as well as small arms fire. Some elements of the convoy had dismounted, and so marines continued their pursuits into corn field all the while firing their weapons.
Three marines were wounded in the exchange including one hit by grenade shrapnel.
The Milenio report noted that the commander of the Mexican 9th Military Zone, General Miguel Hurtado Ochoa had visited the scene in the aftermath, but to explanation was made as to why such a senior commander would be in the field.
News reports suggested that the fourth victim was a former Navolato municipal police commander, identified as German Ceniceros Ibarra, AKA Jaguar, who went missing back in 2008.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com