The Mexican drug cartel is apologizing for and condemning the violence that resulted in four Americans being kidnapped over the weekend – two of those Americans survived, while the other two were shot and killed. Those involved in the wrongful deaths have since been turned over to authorities and arrested.
The incident happened on Friday when four Americans were traveling through Matamoros – one of those Americans was due to receive a ‘tummy tuck’ (cosmetic surgery) from a doctor in the area. Not long after crossing the border of Matamoros, their minivan was fired upon by several members of the drug cartel.
The shooting left two of the Americans dead – as well as a local woman, who was caught in the crossfire. The two bodies and two surviving Americans were then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and taken away as authorities began their search. The FBI even offered a $50,000 reward for their whereabouts.
The Americans were eventually found in a wooden shack that was guarded by a member of the Mexican drug cartel. The survivors were then sent back to the United States for treatment, one of which had a non-threatening injury after being shot in the leg. The cartel is being held responsible for the incident.
In recent news, the Associated Press has obtained a letter from Tamaulipas officials that was allegedly written by the Mexican drug cartel, who apologized to the city of Matamoros, the local woman who was shot and killed, the two surviving Americans, and the two Americans who were killed in the shooting.
“We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible in the events, who at all times acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline,” the cartel wrote. They condemned the actions of the members involved, writing they failed to respect ‘the life and well-being of the innocent.’
Authorities have also identified the two Americans who were killed in the incident as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown – they also identified Areli Pablo Servando as the local woman who was killed. The two surviving Americans were Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams, both of whom continue recovery.
Family Members Speak Out Against the Mexican Drug Cartel
In the aftermath of the deadly kidnapping, it appears family members aren’t accepting any apologies from the Mexican drug cartel. At least one family member – a cousin of Eric Williams, who was shot in the leg – is happy to be reunited with his cousin, but believes more needs to be done to avoid further violence.
“It ain’t gonna change nothing about the suffering that we went through,” said Jerry Wallace of the apology letter – also reiterating the need for American and Mexican governments to do their part in lessening cartel violence. Another family member of the fallen expressed being ‘helpless’ through it all.
The apology letter was found in a vehicle by Mexican authorities, who had been searching for the vehicle for several days. Along with the letter was a photograph of five men, who were bound and face-down – those men were also found in the vehicle and were among those taken into custody for the crimes.
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The horrific incident has resulted in the U.S. Department of State listing the city of Matamoros in Tamaulipas under the ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory. Anyone with plans of visiting the state is heavily advised to cancel those plans immediately out of fear of another incident occurring in the future.