MEXICO CITY: Gunmen believed to belong to a local drug cartel killed five members of a family near the Mexican border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas, authorities said Thursday.
The assailants arrived at the family’s home and forced the inhabitants outside, then killed a grandfather, his son and three of his grandchildren, aged 10 to 19, Tamaulipas state’s government said. The killings took place late Wednesday.
The gunmen reportedly questioned the family about a rival gang, and then shot them to death and ransacked the home on a road between Reynosa and the neighbouring city of Matamoros.
Earlier Thursday, journalist Pedro Ferriz said he was robbed at gunpoint while webcasting from his car in Mexico City. Ferriz, best known for his radio programs, kept recording and taped part of his own robbery.
Ferriz was speaking into a cellphone app when he was robbed of his watch and phone by an assailant with a pistol.
In the video, which was posted on local websites, Ferriz is seen taping himself when suddenly a scuffle ensues. He can be heard saying, “I’m on air!”
The assault occurred on a street in an upscale neighbourhood just blocks from the presidential residence.
The robbery drew attention to Mexico City’s problem with persistent crime, despite the fact the capital has been largely spared the large-scale drug cartel violence affecting some regions of the country. --AP