Four people, including a mother and son, were killed inside a Culiacán home as neighbors describe the fear and uncertainty surrounding the violence in their community.
Four people were killed in an armed attack inside a house in the Vallado Viejo neighborhood of Culiacán on the evening of October 12. The victims included a mother and her adult son. Ríodoce’s subsequent reporting describes not only the attack but also the fear and resignation expressed by people living just steps from the house.
Armed men entered the residence on Calle Segunda, near Eje Federalismo, shortly before 9 p.m. Emergency responders found two women and a man dead inside. A fourth victim, also a man, was still alive when paramedics arrived but died after being transported to a hospital.
Two victims were identified as Aurelia Lorena, 56, and her son Joel Antonio, 36. The reporting reviewed does not establish the identities of the other two people killed, the number of attackers, the motive or whether any suspects have been detained.
The house stood near an underpass closed for construction, in an area of modest homes. Police tape had already been removed. Bullet impacts could be seen on a wall and a bloodstain where paramedics had attended to the man who later died.
An Army patrol was stationed nearby before leaving the area. Neighbors said that military personnel had been patrolling during the morning.
One man arrived to check on his brother, who lived next door to the victims. He had been unable to confirm his brother’s safety after hearing about the killings. Worried about leaving him alone following the attack, he decided to take him away from the neighborhood.
Another resident, who had known one of the victims for years, described learning about the killings through conversations in the community. He said he had not heard gunshots, despite living nearby. He expressed sadness over the deaths and fear about the continuing violence.
A high-school student who lived approximately 20 meters from the attacked house said that he and his family had been asleep during the shooting, and he said he had learned about the deaths afterward. Asked whether he felt unsafe, he described insecurity as something residents had become accustomed to.
The attack occurred less than 100 meters from state Civil Protection facilities and close to offices of Mexico’s National Water Commission. The proximity of government installations did not prevent the killings, although no one is sure whether officers were present when the gunmen entered the house.
