NORTHEASTERN CHIHUAHUA — The streets of Ojinaga — and the nearby towns of Manuel Benavides and Coyame del Sotol — have been quiet in the aftermath of a series of shootings this weekend that left six dead and one wounded.
On Sunday, the body of Misael P. Longoria was discovered in a white Land Rover abandoned in a neighborhood on the southern fringe of the city. José Luis S.B. (identified by last initials only) was found deceased in his truck in El Mulato. Ofrael Olivas Guevara and José Luis Rodriguez Benavides were also killed in shootings in Manuel Benavides, a small town about an hour outside of the city.
At around 6:30 in the morning on Monday, two more men — who have not yet been identified by police — were discovered dead by apparent gunshot wounds on the stoop of a funeral parlor across from Lobby’s Restaurant on the Boulevard Libre Comercio.
Schools, government offices and many businesses shuttered on Monday and Tuesday in the municipalities of Ojinaga, Manuel Benavides and Coyame del Sotol. At press time, many locals are still sheltering in place while local and state authorities continue their investigation.
Five vehicles were abandoned during the conflict — including two with Texas plates — and an array of weapons and ammunition. The Presidio Port of Entry has remained open, though many transport services from Ojinaga to other destinations in Mexico have temporarily suspended operations.
Folks on social media and elsewhere have speculated that the violence might be connected to Sergio Menchaca Pizarro, who was arrested in August of last year while walking by the side of FM 170 near Fort Leaton, just southeast of Presidio. Menchaca was a leader in La Línea, a criminal organization in the area known as the “Ojinaga Triangle”.
In June, Menchaca pled guilty to an organized crime charge that carries a mandatory life sentence. The United States also seeks a $2 million payout from money Menchaca and his associates earned in the course of their criminal conspiracy.
Over the past few years, La Línea — a splinter group of the Júarez Cartel — has clashed with the Sinaloa Cartel for command of smuggling routes through the area. On Monday, state Attorney General César Jauregui indicated that he did not think the Ojinaga murders were a continuation of the struggle between the two organizations. “[The confrontations] are not about another criminal organization infiltrating the area, but rather about members of the same group carrying out a purge,” he told reporters in Chihuahua City.
The unrest in Ojinaga comes at an unlucky time for Lucy Marrufo Acosta, the newly-elected mayor. City hall changed hands according to schedule on Tuesday, but a public celebration planned for the city plaza was canceled due to safety concerns.
While her inaugural speech did not explicitly address the shootings, Marrufo called for her friends and neighbors to come together. “It will be in unity that we regain calm and build peace,” she said.
National and state law enforcement agencies have since descended on Ojinaga. On Monday, a special convoy of forces from the National Guard, Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) and the Chihuahua state police — some 300 officers strong — arrived in the border city.
State police commander Luis Aguirre remained confident that his agency’s presence was having a positive impact. “All the security forces report that the area is calm,” he said during a press conference in Chihuahua City on Monday. “Work continues, and we will have to be reinforced with more personnel and more infrastructure in order to obtain more information and to be able to guarantee peace and security in the area.”