On February 27, 5 unarmed civilians were shot and killed in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The victims were shot while driving near the Mexican-U.S border, when the Mexican government was called in to take action. In an article posted by Reuters, they reported that, “Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carmen Lilia Canturosas on Monday said that the army along with the Attorney General’s Office and the National Human Rights Commission would investigate and collect evidence regarding the situation”. In the same article by Reuters, the U.S Department of State released a statement that said that they had seen reports that one of the victims shot was a U.S citizen, but those reports were not confirmed. According to CBS News, “Upon seeing the army troops, they (the occupants) accelerated in a brusque and evasive way”. They then crashed into a nearby vehicle and that’s when the troops opened fire. 

According to The Washington Post, the Human Rights Committee of Nuevo Laredo, “victims were not armed and that there was no reason to arbitrarily kill them in this way”. A video released to the internet shows a large number of citizens were seen arguing, punching and pushing soldiers in an act of protest. According to ABC News, local media said that the situation might be related to a political dispute and that the sons of an ex-mayor were among the dead.