The testimony of a survivor after the massacre of Nuevo Laredo contradicts the version of the Sedena: “we did not bring anything”

At 21, Alejandro Perez Benitez managed to survive a armed attack allegedly perpetrated by military forces in New Laredo, Tamaulipas. With his brother and five other people, they went to a bar in the border town. At dawn on February 26, after leaving the nightclub, they were intercepted by elements of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), who opened fire on the civilians, killing most of them.

Among a series of speculations and different versions of the facts, Alejandro Pérez gave his testimony to various media and human rights organizations. His statements are strong: military shooting repeatedly against them for no apparent reasonbecause he assures that they did not bring weapons or other types of objects or illicit substances.

In his statement presented to the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), he indicated that he and the six other young people went to the nightclub called “Mister Pig”, located in the Manuel Cavazos Lerma district. After leaving the facility, they took the road to Ciudad Anahuac, when the white pickup truck they were traveling in was reportedly shot in the back by the military.

Moments later, he said, they began to hear gunshots. Alejandro was behind the driver and, in his attempt to shield himself from bullets, crouched down until the gunfire stopped. “When I turned to the sides they were all dead», recalls the young man from Tamaulipas in an interview for Other.

After these facts, five civilians lost their lives (identified as Gustavo Pérez Beriles, Wilberto Mata Estrada, Jonathan Aguilar Sánchez, Gustavo Ángel Suárez Castillo -of American origin- and Alejandro Trujullo Rocha). Two of them were outside the truck and three inside. Another man was injured and another unharmed.

When Alejandro managed to get out of the vehicle, he heard the soldiers say “Confused, confused!”. Later, they forced him to lie on the ground with his chest touching the pavement and they asked him if he wanted to live or dieaccording to the words taken up by the journalist Pablo Ferri.

Alejandro wanted to live, even though he saw his brother’s lifeless body on the ground. The young man said that the army they told him to plead guilty and that they had fled from the authorities. At first Pérez didn’t want to accept it, but eventually he did, while an element of the Sedena recorded it with his mobile device.

Alexander’s testimony contrasts with version that the Sedena announced on February 28. The institution headed by Luis Cresencio Sandoval indicated that when its elements carried out reconnaissance in Nuevo Laredo, they heard gunshots and they went to the place whence they came.

This is how they detected the white van in which the seven young people were traveling, which was supposedly going to speeding, lights off and had no license plates. It was reported that when his crew members noticed the presence of authorities, they fled “in an untimely and evasive manner”, for which they collided with a vehicle that was parked in the area.

“From this situation, hearing a rumble, the the military activated their firearms“, detailed the Sedena, without specifying whether said “rumble” was a gunshot or a direct attack on the authorities. The establishment assured to have provided care to one of the injured people, who was transported to the hospital in an ambulance.

However, Alejandro assures that They didn’t carry guns and they didn’t make any kind of detonations. He even commented that one of the uniformed officers shot one of his colleagues who was already injured, when he called for an ambulance.

Journalist Pablo Ferri (from The country) had access to part of the Police report approved that the military wrote after the events. The document appears signed by Captain of the Cavalry Elio “N”, in which a similar version to whom issued the sedenaalthough they omit some details.

It is mentioned that in the early morning of February 26 (around 5 a.m.), military elements heard gunshotsor via Mier street, Manuel Cavazos Lerma district. During the follow-up, they noticed the presence of the white van, which collided with another vehicle while accelerating its progress.

When two military units overtook the truck, gunshots were reportedly heard again. Then the Sedena staff activated his weapons against vehicle crew members without prior authorization of Captain Elio, who immediately ordered a ceasefire.

The police report indicated that at least four cavalry corporals They are the ones who shot at the civilians. After the events, the area was cordoned off and the unit involved was searched. “Continuation of the inspection inside the vehicle nothing illegal was located“, has it been detailed. However, it was not mentioned that he was driving too fast, with his lights off and without a license plate.

Finding no evidence incriminating the youths, the order was given to render assistance to the injured person, who was transferred to México Americano Hospital receive medical care. As for the other survivor who was not injured, no further report was provided.

Let us recall that after these events, the relatives of the victims and the inhabitants of the commune they faced with elements of the Sedena. During this confrontation, gunfire was also recorded, which, again, had not been authorized by Captain Elio.

Due to these events, Sedena contacted the FGR to coordinate the research on what happened, while the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) launched a ex officio complaint to clarify the army’s actions and called for unofficial versions of what happened not to be released, as local reports indicated that at least one of the youths was an alleged member of a criminal group.

For his part, the President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador He said during his morning conference on March 1 that the relevant investigations will be carried out in order to “Hide Nothing” on multiple murders. “If members of the army are found responsible, they must be punished,” he warned.