A “quiet” weekend in Sinaloa, if by quiet we mean eight deaths
Ah, Sinaloa, land of sun, beaches and… shootings. This weekend, the municipalities of Culiacán, San Ignacio and Navolato decided to join the macabre local tradition: violence. Eight men, because of course, statistics always favor the male gender when it comes to dying violently, were murdered. Among them, a 15-year-old teenager (because what better way to celebrate adolescence than with a shot?) and, to give it a touch of tragicomic irony, a Red Cross lifeguard. Yes, the same person who saves lives ended up losing his own. Life is a bad joke, isn’t it?
The lifeguard who couldn’t save himself
Obed Yair “N” (because in Mexico even the dead have the right to anonymity) was enjoying his day off on the Altata boardwalk, Navolato. What could go wrong? Well, some kind armed knights decided to “invite” him to a private meeting. Hours later, the Navy found him with more holes than a Gruyére cheese and took him to an IMSS clinic, where, surprise, he died. The authorities, in their infinite transparency, did not say where they found him. Could it be that they also played hide and seek?
Navolato, the municipality that never disappoints… in violence
In Villa Juárez, two civilians decided to play shooting with the army. Spoiler: they lost. In the Víctor Godoy neighborhood, a robust man appeared (because even in death physical appearance matters) with signs of torture and gunshot wounds. Reason? Mystery, as always. And if that were not enough, in Potrero de Sataya, an 18-year-old young man, Ramón “N”, was found in an irrigation canal, tied up and suffering from gunshot wounds. His relatives had reported him kidnapped, but, surprise, the authorities were unable to rescue him in time. Does anyone else see a pattern here?
San Ignacio and Culiacán: because violence must be equitable
On the Mazatlán-Culiacán Maxipista, another body appeared tied hand and foot, with blows and bullets. Crime? Who knows, but it was surely a “reckoning,” that favorite euphemism of the press. And in Culiacán, father and son were traveling in a BMW (because the upper-middle class also suffers) when some generous strangers showered them with bullets. The father died instantly; The son, 15 years old, agonized a little more in the hospital. The mobile? Nobody knows, but don’t worry, surely in a few months there will be a headline that says “the investigation advances.”
Moral: If you want a relaxing weekend, better avoid Sinaloa. Unless, of course, your idea of relaxation includes dodging bullets.
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