The shooting at a shopping mall in Michoacán – where two people lost their lives – was allegedly ordered by a criminal leader seeking to assassinate a rival group member.
On the afternoon of July 14, shortly before 5:00 p.m., gunshots were reported in the parking lot of the “Las Américas” shopping mall, located south of Morelia, which generated an intense police deployment in the area.
When elements of the Mexican Forensic Services and Crime Scene Unit (USPEC) arrived at the site, they found two lifeless men who were identified as Francisco “N” and Diego “N.” The first was a lawyer, and the second was a bodyguard assigned to the Michoacán Auxiliary Police.
A week after the events, it was determined that one of the victims worked for a member of organized crime who runs his own group, while the leader of a criminal cell known as Los Blancos de Troya allegedly ordered the armed attack.
“El Boto” ordered the attack.
Lawyer Francisco Javier Valencia Perez, also known as “Franky Boy,” worked for a man named Francisco Vargas Patino, alias “Paquito Brother,” identified as a former Knights Templar lieutenant who now runs his own criminal organization, according to police sources consulted by Breitbart Texas.
On July 14, Franky Boy and Paquito Brother agreed to meet in the parking lot of the aforementioned shopping plaza. However, Cesar Sepulveda Arellano, leader of a criminal cell, knew about the meeting and planned to kill Vargas Patino.
When the two men were meeting, they were shot by a hitman sent by Sepulveda Arellano. After the shooting, the lawyer and his bodyguard died, while Paquito Brother managed to escape from the place and asked for help from members of his organization.
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Cesar Sepulveda is known in the criminal underworld as “El Boto” and heads the group “Los Blancos de Troya,” currently linked to the Viagras cartel. He is in charge of disputing territory with other criminal leaders operating in the state, although he does so under the false guise of being part of the self-defense groups.
According to media reports, El Boto is reportedly dedicated to recruiting minors to join the narco-war in Michoacan, using them as human shields at the entrances to the city of Morelia to prevent rival groups from entering.
Although Cesar Sepulveda was arrested in 2018 in the state of Morelos, a year and eight months later, he regained his freedom. According to official sources, this subject has been linked to the homicide of an interim mayor of Buenavista.
Hitman flees and is attacked.
It is worth mentioning that after the gunshots were reported in the parking lot of the Plaza Las Americas, the hitman who started the shooting got on a public transportation van with a woman to avoid being detained by the authorities. However, on the way, the vehicle was shot at by alleged operators of Paquito Brother, who killed the gunman.
“Minutes later, a public service van, gray route, arrived at the Hospital de la Mujer facilities, in which four people were transported with wounds, one of them dead. The unit was also damaged by gunshot wounds,” detailed the state Attorney General’s Office in a press release.
The people who were injured in this second attack were identified as Claudia Sandra “C,” 33 years old, a 13-year-old minor, and Erika Jaquelin, 19 years old. The name of the man who lost his life was not disclosed, although it is presumed that he could be responsible for the double homicide perpetrated in the commercial plaza.