They attack the media outlet <a href="http://www.world-today-news.com/one-year-after-the-culiacanazo-impunity-and-open-wounds-due-to-the-humiliation-of-the-sinaloa-cartel-to-the-government-of-amlo/" title="One year after the “Culiacanazo”: impunity and open wounds due to the humiliation of the Sinaloa Cartel to the government of AMLO”>El Debate in Culiacán; Burnings and confrontations are recorded. (The Debate/@tercia_1)
The newspaper El Debate Culiacán was the target of a shooting attack on the night of Thursday, October 17, when armed men in vehicles fired at least 12 times at the facade of the publishing house.
“The facilities of this publishing house were the target of a shooting attack by individuals traveling in vehicles. On the façade of the El Debate Culiacán building there were signs of the shots. “They shot at least 12 times,” the media outlet itself said.
When detailing that the shots were fired on Donato Guerra Street, in the Centro neighborhood, they stated that several cars in the vicinity were affected by the shots. So far, no injuries have been reported.
Audios circulate on social networks in which alleged members of organized crime order an attack with the aim of focusing attention on that area. “To the house of El Debate, so that everything can be lit there,” a subject is heard saying.
Attack on The Debate. (Facebook: Debate)
Minutes later, the Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat (SSP) reported that it received reports of these events, so elements of the State Preventive Police went to the scene. Upon arrival, they located gunshot wounds to the façade of the property, as well as four vehicles damaged for this same reason, including two company units and two private cars.
This attack is part of a series of violent acts that have broken out in various parts of the city of Culiacán since the early hours of this Thursday, which have continued until this Friday, October 18. According to journalist Adrián López, from Noroeste, in the last few hours practically all access to Culiacán has been blocked.
Simultaneously, the Ministry of Security reported on various reports of detonations and blockades in different parts of Culiacán.
Truck burned in Imala. (@josuealeexis)
In the El Diez field, on the outskirts of the city, clashes between armed civilians were reported, which led to the mobilization of security forces from the three levels of government. The Secretariat added that, although no armed civilians were found at the scene, they located damaged vehicles and shell casings.
Similarly, firearm detonations were reported in the community of Portezuelo, belonging to the Imala municipality, and blockades on the roads that connect Culiacán with other towns.
A trailer that blocked access to the Culiacán-Los Mochis highway, near the bridge to the airport, was removed, allowing circulation to be restored. A blockade was also attended to on Jesús Kumate Boulevard and Las Torres Boulevard, which was cleared by the authorities.
Shooting clashes between armed civilians are reported in El Diez, south of Culiacán. (X/@azucenau)
The violence continued with clashes in the northern part of the city. At 10:40 p.m., there were reports of shootings on Orquídeas Boulevard, in the Santa Fe sector, where shots were fired at private vehicles. Additionally, in the Cedros sector, a Hyundai car was stripped and burned. Other incidents included the burning of a garbage truck at the exit to Imala.
The series of violent events in Culiacán has spread to several areas of the city, affecting exits to the south, east and north, adding to the growing insecurity in the region.
Earlier, in the early hours of Thursday, more mobilizations were recorded. The first incident recorded was in Villa Juárez, municipality of Navolato, where two men were injured after a shootout. Shortly after, in the Tepuche district, on the outskirts of Culiacán, six alleged criminals were killed by elements of the Mexican Army during a shootout. At this location, three vehicles, an arsenal of weapons and tactical equipment were seized, in what represented one of the most significant operations of the day.
On the other hand, on the Culiacán-Mazatlán Maxipista, armed individuals blocked the road by crossing trailers in several sections. In particular, in the vicinity of the Splash Club water park, a group of armed people set fire to a gondola and a trailer, causing panic among drivers who were trapped in the blockade. Elements of the Mexican Army and the State Police arrived at the scene to restore order and clear the area.
The governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, in statements to local media, assured that security problems in the state are being addressed and that violent events have been recorded in rural areas outside the capital.
“The situation is calm, the clashes were outside the city,” said Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of Sinaloa (X/@azucenau)
“We are taking care that things do not happen to make Sinaloans uneasy,” declared Rocha Moya, trying to calm the population by stating that the situation was under control. However, he acknowledged that the clashes involved civilians who have confronted authority, although he stressed that they have the support of federal forces to maintain order.
“Yes, there were some events, but they were outside the city, there is no reason to worry, we are taking care of them,” the president reiterated, adding that all security corporations, including the federal forces, are supporting the operations to control the clashes and deactivate the blockades and that the city is “calm.”
Despite the governor’s statements, the reality is that the violence reached several important points in Culiacán.
In the midst of this situation of violence, Governor Rocha Moya attended the Sinaloa Cultural Festival, where the singer Regina Orozco performed in a concert in Culiacán. Rocha Moya, smiling and in the front row, even took the stage to address the audience, launching a message in which he minimized the violent events that shook the city that same day. This attitude was harshly criticized.
UAS cancels in-person classes. (UAS)
For its part, the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS) announced that classes this Friday, October 18, will be taught in virtual mode at the Central Regional Unit.
“After the assessment of the acts of violence that occur in the capital of Sinaloa and its surroundings, the corresponding protocols were activated to safeguard the students,” reads a statement.
