Mexican officials mum on Matamoros shooting

BROWNSVILLE — A shootout at a Matamoros police station reportedly left several officers dead Wednesday night, although Mexican officials could not be reached for comment.

Seven police officers were killed after a firefight with Zetas about 5:30 p.m. That firefight, which began at a police station near Los Laureles neighborhood, evolved into chases that ended about 9 p.m. when the Mexican military took control of the area, said Brownsville Mayor Pat Ahumada at a news conference Thursday.

Mexican officials couldn’t be reached for comment, but several unconfirmed reports began circulating shortly after the shooting began.

A source from Matamoros with firsthand information said the shootings began when municipal police officers arrested a group of rowdy teenagers; one of the teens turned out to be the son of an alleged member of the Zetas criminal organization.

According to the source, the teen’s father and a group of Zeta hit men stormed the police building and began shooting at officers.

The incident took a strange turn when a group of Gulf Cartel hit men rushed to the police station to fight the Zetas and help police, the source said.

The shootout quickly evolved into a chase when military troops arrived and began hunting down the gunmen, the source added.

Efforts to contact officials with the ministerial police in Matamoros proved to be unsuccessful. The telephone operator said all the agents were in the field investigating the shootout.

According to a law enforcement official from Matamoros, the Zetas did not rescue the teenager but did kidnap one police officer. The official would not comment on the Gulf Cartel’s involvement in the shootout.

Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia said his department received intelligence about the shootout in Matamoros and began assessing the reports and taking the necessary steps to prevent any spillover violence.

“The information we began receiving (Wednesday) referred to a shootout and several police officers shot or dead,” Garcia said. “When you get that kind of unconfirmed information, we need to evaluate it to determine if it can be corroborated, how can it affect our community and if it can cause a spillover.”

The chief didn’t comment on the specifics of the incident, stating that much of the information currently available is unconfirmed and will take time for Mexican authorities to corroborate.

Garcia said his department has specialized personnel attached to task forces with other agencies that are able to provide sensitive intelligence on any violent incident in Mexico.

“I’m not too concerned about Reynosa or Laredo,” he said. “I’m concerned about Matamoros because it’s a city that’s adjacent to us.”

The intelligence police received Wednesday afternoon indicated the confrontation in Matamoros was not likely to spread to Brownsville, the chief said. Nevertheless, Brownsville police officers were made aware of the situation and the Police Department implemented several steps that are part of a contingency plan.

“This was done just in case,” Garcia said, stating that the contingency measures could not be disclosed. “We live in the U.S. The citizens need to realize that this is not going on in Brownsville. They shouldn’t be afraid to go to work or to go out to dinner. We are ready to respond to these issues and keep them from coming here. These confrontations are not new. They may have escalated to another level, but it’s all about the same issues.”

During the news conference, Ahumada repeated his earlier warning that residents should avoid Matamoros.

“Now it’s calmed down,” he said. “Would I go there (Matamoros)? Not unless I have to.”