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on the border line between the US and Mexico
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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Priest killed in crossfire during fight in Matamoros



Brownsville Herald/McAllen Monitor
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/matamoros-128398-duran-father.html


Church officials and the community of Matamoros were in shock after a well-known Catholic priest was killed in crossfire during a Saturday afternoon shootout between armed gunmen and the Mexican military.

Sources outside of law enforcement said the shootout began when members of the Zetas tried to enter Matamoros.

Father Marco Antonio Duran Romero died at approximately 3:40 p.m. at a local hospital from a gunshot injury, according to a statement by Father Alan G. Camargo, a spokesman for the Matamoros Diocese.

The diocese issued a statement late Saturday expressing deep pain at the death of Father Duran.

According to a Tamaulipas law enforcement official not authorized to speak to the media, Duran was struck in the chest by a bullet from a firefight between authorities and gunmen as he drove through Avenida Albino Hernandez in the Colonia Obrera.

Duran was widely known throughout the city because of a television show he had on a local channel and regular appearances on radio, where he discussed a wide variety of topics. He also served at the San Roberto Belarmino parish in the Colonia Portes Gil, according to a Matamoros resident who is close to the diocese and was deeply saddened by the news

The firefight began at approximately 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Colonia Obrera between groups of gunmen, and blockades began popping up throughout the city in an effort to keep authorities away from the area, according to a Tamaulipas law enforcement official.

The blockades were reported near the offices of Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and the downtown military base as well as other main avenues, he said.

Some of the avenues with blockades included Sendero Nacional, Avenida Pedro Cardenas, Avenida Longoria, Lauro Villar, Calle Sexta and several others main streets in the city.

At approximately 4:30 p.m. gunmen were still battling it out near Sendero Nacional, which is near the Tamaulipas State University–UAT campus.

Authorities arrived afterward to the areas in conflict and engaged the gunmen.

A source outside of law enforcement with firsthand knowledge of the firefights in Matamoros reported that a squad of Zetas tried to enter Matamoros and was met by a squad of gunmen from the Gulf Cartel and that later the Mexican military arrived, creating a three-way firefight.





The following video of the aftermath of Saturday's fighting was uploaded to YouTube by a Matamoros resident. Although of poor quality it shows the evidence of the high volume of gunfire in Saturday's shootouts as seen in damage to buildings.

The video also shows puddles of blood that, according to witnesses heard on the video, belong to unidentified civilians that were shot in the fighting and whose bodies were recovered by gunmen.

Although the McAllen Monitor and the Brownsville Herald are often criticized for publishing unsubstantiated reports of high numbers of fatalities resulting from shootouts in Reynosa and Matamoros, this video shows that there may be some truth to these reports if we take into account the fact that many if not most of the bodies of fallen gunmen and authorities are quickly recovered by the groups involved in the fighting.


29 comments:

  1. QEPD Marco Antonio Durán Romero ( for all you non Native Spanish speakers out there that means Que en Paz descanse or " may he rest in peace"

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  2. What kind of idiot cannot hold a camera straight. Sideways and upside down?

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  3. That video hurt my neck.

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  4. Damn, the Z's are persistent as hell. My question is how in the hell does a convoy of Zetas make it in Matamoros without getting blown up to pieces right before they enter town?

    I figure if you hit those scum bags before they get to town would be better. No marines to come bother you while you beating that ass, and keeping the town safe. CDG needs to take control more of the area towards San Fernando so they can hit them up beforehand.

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  5. So many innocent people losing their lives in this game of cop and robber= cowboys and Indians....

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  6. LASTIMA PORQUE ERA INOCENTE.. Y SE VA PA LAS ESTADISITCAS..

    PERO UN CHINGO DE PADRECITOS LE ANDAN HACIENDO EL FAVOR DE HALCONEAR A LOS NARCOS..

    PUTOS...

    HAY FOTOS EN DONDE EL AZUL SE ESTA SALUDANDO DE MANO CON UN SACERDOTE EN SINALOA.. PENDEJOS.. SIGAN ADORANDO AL MALVERDE E IGUAL VAN A TERMINAR..

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  7. QPDO = Que Pedo

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  8. We all know what happened when they killed the cardinal. I wonder what the government well do about this one.

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  9. Mexico,

    Grow up!

    Love,

    America

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  10. @ 3:32
    ¿Ke P2 güey? Get it straight lol Jk

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  11. The Zetas have been comming in to Matamoros by boat, they get to the beach where a sleeper from Matamoros picks them up. They hole up in safe houses until they go out and attack. Insurgency tactics learned in the US at the College of the Americas, by their leader who completed his training there - Lazcano. They also come in through dirt roads a few at a time and claim to be migrants. Once in Matamoros they get their guns. Weapons come in under previously hijacked fruit shipments on their way to Soriana. Prices for fruit and vegetables have skyrocketed because of the large number of delivery trucks that have been lost. But US intel knows all this because they trained the fucker, and this is all textbook tactics.
    MM38

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  12. All you kids that look up to drug dealing scum bags like the people who did this should know this, If you become a drug dealer and do good at it and become a leader This too is going to happen to you. Every one that does this kind of thing to others, has it done to them. Legalize drugs, take the power out of the hands of scum bags and put the power in the hands of the people of MEXICO. america does not care about the people of Mexico, so Mexico has got to take the lead in this drug war on their own and do what is best for Mexico. If Mexico took the lead and legalize ALL drugs, aMERICA would have to do the same.

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  13. Anonymous said...
    LASTIMA PORQUE ERA INOCENTE.. Y SE VA PA LAS ESTADISITCAS..

    PERO UN CHINGO DE PADRECITOS LE ANDAN HACIENDO EL FAVOR DE HALCONEAR A LOS NARCOS.. PUTOS
    Don't know what he said but I like it, sounds real and from the heart, I feel you and stay safe, also be the change you want to see, Gandi"

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  14. If this man received any training in these areas, it was at the hands of his own officers.

    Ft Benning was mostly reserved for officers. Only few enlisted (and never low ranking, at that) were made a part of the conferences. Sessions were on planning operations; training and equipment readiness. Intel asset development, planning all aspects of intel ops; some interrogation. Radio communications.

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  15. @ 10:19 he or she said ( I am paraphrasing here):

    It's sad because he was innocent. He's another statistic buy there are a lit of priests that are helping the narcos by being their lookouts ( halcones) .

    There is even a picture of el Azul ( Juan jose esparragoza Moreno) shaking hands with a priest in Sinaloa. dumbasses. Keep worshiping Malverde ( a narco " saint" ) and you will end up the same way

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  16. El Azul is believed to have had a role in the death of United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique Camarena.

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  17. El Padre Marcos era un FINISIMO servidor de Dios y servidor de la gente. Toda la sociedad de Matamoros estamos de luto por perder este gran padre y amigo de todos.

    Farher Marcos was an EXCELLENT servant of God and an excellent servant of the people. All of the society of Matamoros is mourning over having lost this grand priest and friend of everyone.

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  18. just goes to show you that...
    THERE IS NO GOD...

    wheres his protection? did he pray to be safe and others to be safe?
    maybe he was a child molester and this is how god punished him?

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  19. @12:36AM

    ...so who cares if there is no god?, dummy!

    This man still dedicated his life to something he believed in (i believe you're an asshole; does that make me a child molester?), and provided a service to his community. A professional care giver and councilor; kinda like an ambulance driver or a firefighter or a cop (de los buenos), except his focus is your emotional well being. Have you ever heard of a bad cop? Or bad firefighter? There are also some bad apples in the priesthood; but, this guy seems pretty well liked in his community.

    And another thing, I wouldn't begrudge this guy a girlfriend, if he would have had one; these guys are usually pretty good guys that deserve to love and be loved by someone; gay or straight. Heck; if you (an elementary school drop-out) can get married and reproduce, why shouldn't a good man; like this guy?

    If you're an atheist (like I am), you might not believe that there is a god; but always remember that you have loved ones who do. ....are they dumber than you (kinda hard being dumber than you, tho...)? Maybe. But you still love them and respect their life's work.

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  20. How is it that CNN beat Borderland Beat and El Blog del narco to the capture of el mamito

    http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/07/04/mexico.arrest/

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  21. I can't not believe some of the comments left here. The worst is the child molester comment. Come on, you idiot, how would you like it if someone made a comment like that about one of family members who was murdered. You're an insensitive jerk.

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  22. Thanks MM38. That makes sense.

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  23. YA AGARRARON A OTRO ZETA,,, CAYO EL MAMITO. JESUS REJON AGUILAR, POR EL QUE DABAN 5 MILLONES DE DOLARES.
    http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/a3a4f854e099228757da6f3aa2e94726

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  24. "How is it that CNN beat Borderland Beat and El Blog del narco to the capture of el mamito"

    My sincere apologies for the 'fail', I woke up 'crudo' and was unable to attend the press conference in Iztapalapa, Mexico City.

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  25. Its all good Gerado just seemed out of place to not hear it from BB first that is all. By all means keep doing what you are doing, thank you again.

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  26. la policia inepta, toda el area debio de ser circulada, en lugar de eso, anda todo mundo metiendo mano, perturbando evidencia y demas...que barbaridad..

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  27. @ impulsado
    No disrespect to borderland beat but they are a blog. They get there reports from other news agencies. This is not a News organization like CNN or even Fox news. It is a couple of dedicated people who post things when they have time not a 24 news organization with many people on their payroll. So it's only common sense that BB would not be the first to break this story.

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  28. Yes and I have been active with BB since almost day one. I am fully aware of what this is so before you go out and try to educate and inform why dont you get your facts right. It is a blog but they are very good at what they do gathering information from other websites and sources and information here sometimes even beats BDN to the punch. The focus on this topic and this alone not propaganda laden news. CNN also fails to report on the majority of the events in mexico as well. BB does a AMAZING job at what they do and all I did was say strange that another agency brought it to light first.

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  29. @ impulsado
    Another agency? BB is an agency? What kind? A news agency? No it's not it's a blog.

    ReplyDelete

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