Gunmen storm rehab center, kill 13 in Mexico border city

[News_Editor]

Gunmen storm rehab center, kill 13 in Mexico border city

2010-10-25 19:06:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

TIJUANA, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- At least 13 people were killed after suspected drug cartel members burst into a drug rehabilitation center in the northwestern Mexican city of Tijuana on Sunday night, local media reported.

According to reports, several gunmen arrived in two dark-colored cars at the El Camino rehab center at around 8 p.m. local time. Four gunmen holding high-caliber assault rifles raided the center, controlled the personnel, and ordered the 13 individuals to enter one of the rooms, line up, and lie face down.

Moments later, the gunmen fired as they lied, and after noticing a survivor, the gunmen continued shooting for around two straight minutes.

After fleeing form the scene, a voice was heard on the local Department of Public Security's radio frequency which said, "we are from the Juarez Cartel and the party has just begun."

A person was able to survive the raid by hiding in one of the rooms. In a state of apparent shock, he said the gunmen did not notice him. The survivor confirmed that on average, the center treats around 45 people, and that on this occasion, a group had gathered to watch a football match on TV. After the match concluded and the group began to head back home, the incident occurred.

Members of the center were outraged that local authorities arrived over two hours after the incident had occurred to carry out legal procedures, cordoning out the area in order to investigate the situation.

This is the first time an incident like this occurs in Tijuana although in Ciudad Juarez, similar assaults have taken place.

Drug rehabilitation center have been the target of attacks, because according to locals and federal officials, they are used by individuals as a refuge from rival gang members.

The latest massacre in Mexico's war on drugs mirrors Friday's bloody carnage in Ciudad Juarez, when 14 people were killed by gunmen that stormed a house where a birthday party was in full swing.

Some 25,000 people have died in drug-related violence after a military campaign against drug cartels was launched by President Felipe Calderon at the end of 2006.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-25