An elite Mexican police officer from its so-called “Gringo Hunters” unit has been shot lifeless by a fugitive they have been attempting to arrest.
The devoted crew of elite officers follows and detains US criminals and suspects who’re hiding in Mexico.
It had been attempting to pin down a person within the northern Mexican border metropolis of Tijuana, authorities mentioned, when the person opened hearth.
The pinnacle of the regional unit in Baja California state, 33-year-old Abigail Esparza Reyes, was hit within the shoot out.
Reyes, who had led the regional crew for eight years and carried out greater than 400 operations on US fugitives in Mexico, died from the harm.
Pic: Reuters
In line with native media studies, the goal of the Gringo Hunters was Cesar Hernandez, a convicted assassin who escaped from a California courthouse in December.
Upon arriving for a courtroom look, Hernandez managed to leap out of the van and run away, the California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed on the time.
He was serving an 80-year life sentence however may have turn out to be eligible for parole.
Following the shoot out in Mexico on Wednesday, Hernandez once more managed to getaway, this time in disguise as a employee, native media reported.
Pic: Reuters
For many years, suspects on the run within the US have crossed the border into Mexico.
In 2002 the Latin American nation arrange in cooperation with US legislation enforcement a devoted squad to trace down fugitives who cross the border.
The extremely skilled crew has gained prominence in recent times and would be the topic of a brand new crime drama TV collection anticipated on Netflix later this yr.
Baja California state governor Marina del Pilar paid tribute to the killed police officer on social media.
“Abigail’s life might be honoured, and her demise is not going to go unpunished,” she mentioned.
