Two of four Americans abducted in Mexico are dead, two are alive: report
Two of four US citizens abducted in Mexico are dead, while two others are still alive, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing the Tamaulipas governor.
Dramatic Video Shows Four Americans Moment were kidnapped shortly after crossing into Mexico, which authorities described as a case of misidentification.
Video of the violent incident shows gunmen in bulletproof vests dragging one man along the sidewalk and pushing the woman into the back of a white truck, before dragging two more men who appear to be injured along the sidewalk and loading them onto the back of the truck. the same truck.
Footage from the scene shows a white minibus with North Carolina bullet-riddled slabs shortly after the abductions, and a woman who reportedly witnessed the attack told The Associated Press she saw the minivan collide with another vehicle before hearing gunfire and seeing gunmen approaching the van.
“Suddenly they (armed men) were in front of us,” said the woman, who declined to give her name for fear of retribution. “I was in shock, no one honked, no one moved. Everyone must have been thinking the same thing: “If we move, they’ll see us or they might shoot us.”
FIRST OF FOUR AMERICANS KIDNAPPED IN MEXICO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED
A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina license plates and multiple bullet holes at a crime scene where gunmen kidnapped four U.S. citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas on Friday, March 3, 2023. (AP photo)
She added that she saw the men force one woman, who was able to pass, into the back of their truck, while another victim, who she said could move her head, was loaded into the truck.
“They dragged the other two along the sidewalk, we don’t know if they are alive or dead,” she said.
According to law enforcement, a group of Americans were travel to mexico to the medical services last week when the minivan they were traveling in was attacked by a group of gunmen who fired on the vehicle before pulling the Americans out and loading them into a truck. The four Americans were not considered the intended target of the attack.
The band crossed Brownsville, Texas to the Mexican city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, an area that suffers from cartel violence and contains travel advisories from the State Department warning Americans to avoid visiting.
The Mexican National Guard is preparing an operation to search for four US citizens abducted by militants in Matamoros, Mexico. (AP photo)
FOUR AMERICANS KIDNAPPED IN MEXICO POSSIBLY UNINTENDEDLY TARGETED: REPORT
One of the four Americans in the group, Zindell Brown, was identified by his sister Zalandria Brown of Florence. South Carolinaon Tuesday, saying she has been in contact with the FBI and Mexican authorities since the incident.
“It’s like a bad dream that you want to wake up from,” Brown told The Associated Press. “Seeing your family member being thrown into the back of a truck and being dragged away is just unbelievable.”
Brown said her younger brother is from Myrtle Beach and came to Mexico with three friends, one of whom was there to have a tummy tuck.
She added that her brother was hesitant to go on the trip, warning his friends of the dangers before leaving.
Mexican army soldiers prepare to search for four US citizens abducted by militants in Matamoros, Mexico. (AP photo)
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“Zindell kept saying, ‘We mustn’t fall,'” Brown said.
The victim’s father, O’dell William Brown, said the family was shocked by the news.
“I don’t know where to go right now,” he said. “We don’t know what’s what.”
It is unclear if Brown is one of those killed in the incident.
FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the return of the victims and the arrest of those responsible.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.