By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat
A family was shot at by armed men while standing outside their home for breaking a curfew imposed by a criminal group in San Pedro del Monte, Guanajuato. The father died and his children all suffered bullet wounds.
The attack occurred in the town of San Pedro del Monte, also known as “La Huizachera”, small town a 30-minute drive south of the city of León. According to witnesses, around midnight, men wearing black clothing in a white truck drove by the family, who were standing outside their home, and warned them about the curfew. The armed men “went around saying that there was a curfew and that they didn’t want anyone to leave their homes” locals told newspaper Periódico Correo.
25 minutes later, the men in the truck returned and shot at the victims. The father, a cockfighting trainer named Juan Antonio, died from his wounds at the scene. Two of his sons and his daughter were all injured and taken to the hospital by responding paramedics.
A “toque de queda” is a curfew, typically imposed by a government which bans the movement of civilians in a region. Criminal groups often impose these curfews on communities where they exert significant control or influence, often as a way to pose a force providing law and order. For example, in large public narco banners, the CJNG announced a 10 p.m. curfew for locals of Tepotzotlán, State of Mexico in August 2023.
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| CJNG narco banners announcing curfew in Tepotzotlán. Image: Revista Brujula |