Newsman: Two Americans were dead and two were back in the U.S. Wednesday after a bizarre shooting rampage, abduction and rescue in a Mexican border town.
Irving Barrios, attorney general in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, said no ransom was demanded after Friday’s assault and that a preliminary investigation indicated the U.S. travelers were victims of mistaken identity. They were located Tuesday around 8 a.m. in a shack outside Matamoros, Barrios said.
A suspect standing guard over them, identified only as Jose Guadalupe N., 24, was arrested.
“Investigation and intelligence work continues to capture those responsible,” Barrios tweeted. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed that the U.S. Justice Department would be “relentless in pursuing justice” on behalf of the Americans.
Americo Villarreal, governor of Tamaulipas, said the four Americans had crossed into Mexico 2 1/2 hours before the shootout erupted in Matamoros. The cartel moved the hostages around to try and evade teams sent to rescue them, Villarreal said.
The surviving Americans were returned to the U.S. on Tuesday, crossing the border back into Brownsville, Texas. The convoy of ambulances and SUVs was escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted machine guns. One of the survivors, identified as Eric Williams, 38, had been shot in the leg. The other survivor was identified as Latavia McGee.
The bodies of the two deceased Americans – identified by authorities as Shaeed Woodard, 33, and Zindell Brown, in his 20s – remained in Mexico pending autopsies to determine the time and cause of death.
The Americans crossed the border in a minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to Mexican officials and Special Agent Oliver Rich, who is in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Division. The unidentified gunmen opened fire before the four Americans were placed in a pickup and rushed from the scene. A 33-year-old female bystander was killed by a stray bullet, Barrios said.
A video posted to social media Friday showed men with assault rifles and body armor loading the four people into the bed of a white pickup in broad daylight. One was alive and sitting up, but the others appeared either dead or wounded. At least one person appeared to lift his head from the pavement before being dragged to the truck.
