Federal authorities announced Wednesday that a suspect wanted in connection with an ambush that killed nine American Americans in northern Mexico nearly four years ago was detained in New Mexico.
What Happened?
Ivan Gustavo Hernandez-Cabral, 24, was apprehended in Albuquerque on Monday, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, who said they had followed up on a tip. The arrest’s specifics have not been made public.
According to Marshal Service representatives, Hernandez-Cabral was detained pending extradition to Mexico in relation to the ambush that occurred on November 4, 2019, leaving three mothers and six children dead on a road in Sonora.
The shooting, which occurred when cartel gunmen opened fire on three vehicles carrying women and children who had dual citizenship and lived in the neighborhood, was alleged to have left five youngsters alive. Authorities claimed that three of the victims were burned alive as they traveled with a Mormon party to a wedding.
Mexican authorities claimed that the family was inadvertently targeted by one of the cartels after driving into a location where there had been a battle between rival groups earlier that day.
The pandemonium and heartbreaking moments following the ambush were described in voice messages. “Christina and Dawn have left. They are not—they are dead, a woman’s voice in a WhatsApp voice message was heard stating.
“They started shooting, killing Dawna and the infant. And in another, a man remarked, “Dawna is screaming at the kids to get down.
Must Pay The Victim Family
Source: CNN
13-year-old Devin Langford was able to conceal his siblings in adjacent bushes by covering them with branches after his mother and two brothers were fatally shot. Then he made a 14-mile rescue trek. McKenzie, his 9-year-old sister, suffered an arm graze. Before finally coming across rescuers, she trekked for four hours in the dark.
By February 2021, according to Mexican authorities, roughly 20 people had been detained, and further warrants are still pending.
According to the Marshals Service, Hernandez-Cabral is also awaiting a hearing in federal court in Albuquerque on a charge of illegal entry. Hernandez-Cabral was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol in July when he allegedly crossed the border against the law close to Columbus, New Mexico, according to the Marshals Service.
Wednesday’s call to Las Cruces-based attorney Carlos Ibarra for a response to his client’s lawsuits went unanswered. A federal judge from North Dakota decreed last year that the Juarez cartel must pay the families of the victims $1.5 billion.
