Gang ties suspected in shooting that killed 6, including 2 children, on busy Juárez street

A gangland-style shooting left six people dead, including two children, and wounded two others on a crowded Juárez avenue during the Friday evening traffic rush.

Gunmen fired nearly 40 rifle rounds at a gray Chevrolet Spark on Avenida Tecnológico in front of the Technological Institute of Ciudad Juárez, authorities said.

The public ambush, reminiscent of bloodshed during the drug cartel war years a decade ago, was shocking in a border city accustomed to almost daily homicides.

Five people died at the scene and a sixth victim died at a hospital from multiple gunshot wounds, the Chihuahua state attorney general's office said.

The state attorney general's office, which has not released the names of the victims, said the victims were:

• A boy, 10-12 years old.

• A girl, 10-12 years old.

• A woman, 30-35 years old.

• A man, 35-40 years old.

• A man, 40-45 years old.

• A man, about 50 years old, who died at a hospital.

Authorities said two other victims with gunshot wounds were hospitalized.

Crime-scene investigators found 39 7.62×39 mm casings and three 9 mm casings and seized a blue Nissan with Mexico City plates along with the Chevrolet Spark, which had Chihuahua plates, the attorney general's office reported.

There had been no arrests as of Monday.

Gang links to street massacre

El Heraldo de Juárez reported that the small gray compact Spark was chased by another vehicle and attacked after possibly leaving a Mexican federal judicial building down the block.

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About three days before the attack, three of the victims had been arrested by municipal police who allegedly found them with firearms and drugs, Juárez Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar said he was told by the police chief.

“Municipal police did their job,” but a federal judge ordered the group be released on the federal charges, Cruz Perez said in a video on his Twitter account. He called for a review of decisions made by the federal judiciary.

"If the judge hadn’t done that, they would probably still be alive," the mayor said. "Sure, they would have to pay the consequences for their crimes, but they would be alive and we wouldn’t have this tragedy with the children."

The slain boy reportedly was the son of a reputed leader of the Artistas Asesinos (Artist Assassins) gang, who was believed to be the intended target, El Diario de Juárez reported. It's unconfirmed if the gang leader was among the dead.

Murders top 300 in Juárez

Those killed in the street ambush were among 10 homicide victims over the weekend in Juárez even as violence has been decreasing this year.

April had 63 homicides, the lowest monthly total so far in 2022, La Verdad news website reported. There have been more than 300 homicides this year.

More: Juárez still ranked among 10 most-violent cities in the world; Mexico cities top list

Authorities attributed most of the violence to fighting among gangs and crime groups over control of drug markets.

Crime and public safety remain a major concern. A quality-of-life survey found that more than 55% of residents considered Juárez to be somewhat or very unsafe.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 6 killed, including 2 kids, in gang-style shooting on Juárez street