Shootout in Piedras Negras, Coahuila Leaves 5 Presumed Zetas Dead

On Monday, January 19, a shootout occurred in southern Piedras Negras, Coahuila, between
presumed members of Los Zetas and forces of the Group of Specialized Arms and Tactics (in Spanish: Grupo de Armas y Tácticas Especiales, abbreviated as GATE).

It began at 6:20 PM on the López Portillo beltway (which doubles as Highway 2 to Nuevo Laredo), in the Luis Donaldo Colosio colonia, when members of the GATE, conducting a routine patrol, observed two suspicious vehicles (a maroon Ford Explorer with a Coahuila license plate and green Kia Spectra with a Texas license plate) and attempted to pull them over.

Instead of stopping, they turned off of the beltway and soon the shootout began on Diana Laura Riojas street.  A red alert was called and forces from Sedena, PGR, Piedras Municipal Police, Nava Municipal Police, Federal Police, and Marina arrived to reinforce the GATE patrol.


A member of the GATE was injured in the shootout and a 67 year old woman was caught in the
crossfire and received a bullet wound in her right arm.  As for the criminals, three were killed outside of the Ford Explorer, while another laid dead in the middle of Hofman street, which runs parallel to Diana Laura Riojas street.  The fifth individual attempted to flee and was found dead in a field located nearby in the vicinity of a mountain.

Officials confiscated the two vehicles, as well as two AK-47s, an AR-15, two pistols, and quantities of white powder, apparently cocaine, and a substance described as white in rock form, which I assume is crack cocaine.

Those killed in the shootout were later identified by family members as:

• Humberto Bernardo Lira Aranda, 26 years old, with residence on José María Bocanegra street of the Presidentes Tres colonia.
• José Guadalupe Meza Gaona, 25 years old, with residence on Bosque Guillén street of the La Constancia colonia. 
• José Roberto Becerril Salazar, 21 years old, with residence on Mar Mediterráneo street of the Villas del Carmen colonia.  His father claims that he was not a criminal and worked as an air conditioner repairman.
• Julio César Monrreal Martínez, 22 years old, with residence on Manuel Pérez Treviño street of the Presidentes Cuatro colonia.
• Julio Valle, 33 years old, with residence in the city of Sabinas, Coahuila.

Sources: 
Abaten Gates a 5 hombres armados
5 Civiles Muertos; Un Elemento del GATE y una Mujer Heridos en Balacera en Piedras Negras
Abate GATE a 5 presuntos delincuentes en Piedras Negras
Identifican a abatidos durante enfrentamiento en Piedras Negras