Mexican police "executed" cartel members, public horrified after released footage
Footage of police officers executing several members of a drug cartel appeared on social media in Mexico. Such recordings disturbed Mexicans, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also reacted to them.
Video of the May 18 incident shows the car carrying the five men initially crashing into a barbed wire fence and coming to rest in Mexico's Nuevo Laredo region.
In the next few seconds, Mexican police officers proceeded to arrest the five men. However, later in the video, the group of policemen can be seen shooting at them.
The video showed members of the army killing 5 drug lords and sicarios from the Northeast Cartel, in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. La población apoya el actionionar military en redes sociales. ¿Tú qué opinas? pic.twitter.com/Rl95gj0t8t
— Eduardo Menoni (@eduardomenoni) June 7, 2023
According to local media, four of the five men died on the spot, while the fifth ended up in hospital.
As can be seen in the video, after the shooting, some of the policemen are seen putting weapons in the hands of the criminals.
Mexican newspaper Prosecco reported that Lt. Jose Nava claimed in his report to the Ministry of Defense that his men were shot by members of the Noreste cartel while inspecting their vehicle. During the search, the Mexican officer notes, the five suspects tried to get the weapons and fell dead during the shootout.
"Obviously it was an execution and we cannot allow that. Those responsible for this will be handed over to the competent authorities," the president of Mexico said at a press briefing on Wednesday morning.