By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Even as officials with the state government of Tamaulipas proudly trumpeted their role in a peaceful Semana Santa or Holy Week, seven individuals have been killed in Tamaulipas since Tuesday as shootouts continue in southern regions of the state, according to officials and Mexican news accounts.
A late news release published on the website of Tamaulipas said that seven unidentified individuals were killed in two confrontations in San Fernando municipality Tuesday afternoon.
According to the report, a Mexican naval infantry road patrol came under small arms fire coming from a convoys near the village of Carbajal.
Marine counterfire struck and killed five suspects, and presumably the rest of the occupants in the convoy managed to escape. Marines seized a number of contraband in the aftermath including five rifles, one semiautomatic pistol, a tube grenade launcher, four grenades, 39 weapons magazines, 947 rounds of ammunition and a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV.
A second incident took place at around 1640 hrs in San Fernando proper in Guillermo Guajardo colony on Avenida Division del Norte when a separate Mexican marine road patrol attempted a traffic stop of four men traveling aboard a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. Occupants in the vehicle opened fire on the marines. Three of the occupants escaped the scene while the fourth was killed by marine gunfire.
A short distance away, an unidentified man in his 70s was found dead inside his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. According to the official report, another man unidentified in the news account told prosecutors that he had been the driver of the truck, and that the victim had been hit by stray gunfire.
News has emerged in the wake of the end of Semana Santa that shootings and intergang firefights are on the rise in southern Tamaulipas municipalities.
According to a report which appeared in El Manana news daily, several gunfights have taken place since Tuesday in Tampico municipality.
According to the report as of Wednesday morning, official reports have yet to surface as to killed and wounded despite the fact that shootouts continue.
Citing the text of tweets of a local Televisa affiliate, shootouts were reported in Del Pueblo colony which took place Tuesday at 1430 hrs, and on Avenida Universidad at 1530 hrs. No reports were of dead or wounded. The report said the shootouts were simultaneous.
Later reports are of shootouts in Laderas de Vista Bella colony as well, including detonations of grenades at a residence, and in Cascajal colony where a Nissan X-terra was immolated.
That evening shootouts were reported in Tampico near the intersection of calles 2 de Enero and Heroes de Chapultepec at around 17:00 hrs, and near the intersection of calles Matienzo y José de Escandon in Zona Centro.
For their part, the state government of Tamaulipas reported a shootout between a Mexican Army road patrol and armed suspects in the southern municipality of Aldama Monday afternoon.
That incident took place at around 1740 hrs, but resulting in the capture of four suspects. Contraband seized included five rifles, magazines, ammunition, personal quantities of marijuana, tactical gear, communication equipment and the vehicle.
The same report mentions that a Mexican Army unit located two abandoned vehicles in Santo Niño colony, inside of which were found ammunition, weapons magazines and several incendiary devices, probably Molotov cocktails.
Meanwhile in Reynosa municipality a Mexican Army unit located and seized arms and ammunition in Hacienda Las Fuentes colony Tuesday. According to an official report, soldiers seized 41 rifles, two grenades, 22,334 rounds of ammunition, weapons magazines and tactical gear.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and Borderlandbeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com