The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is behind the attack that killed 12 people and injured 20 more during the San Juan celebrations in Irapuato, state and local sources confirmed to MILENIO.
According to initial reports, six people shot at residents on Bustamante Street in Barrio Nuevo, as they were celebrating San Juan Bautista, as they do every year.
Thanks to a video circulating on social media, it is known that seconds before the attack, the residents were dancing in a circle, while a young woman and a minor were in the center. “Pipe, pipe; down, down,” were the last words heard before the high-powered weapons were fired. After the shots were fired, those attending the celebration ran for safety.
After the attack, the street resembled a “river of blood.” At least ten people died at the scene and two more were being treated in hospitals. The 20 injured were taken to various clinics.
“No, why? Tell me this isn’t true; why?” cried a relative of two victims, while others called for help or mourned their dead.
“We heard the gunshots and went to see what was happening and saw a pile of bodies. The whole street was covered in blood, and we picked up everyone we could and put them in the truck and took them to a hospital, but my sister and six of my nephews died. I couldn’t save them anymore; it’s not fair,” said Mauricio Garibaldi Flores.
Among the victims was Carmen Garibaldi Flores, 40, an elementary school teacher. Her son, Francisco, 17, was a member of the San Cristóbal gang; as were four other members of the same family, including an agricultural engineer.
According to sources close to the investigation, those attending the celebration included several members of Los Garibaldi, a family known for its ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which operated in San Pedro, La Ganadera, and Benito Juárez.
“We can confirm that the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is behind the attacks; they wanted to target members of the Garibaldi family and Los Rivera, with whom they have long been fighting for control of the city with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel,” the source said.
