As Christmas Eve was closing in on the most violent city in the world, at about 4:40 p.m. two more men were prevented from living through the dusk to nightfall. They were driving in a Chevrolet pickup in Lomas de San José when another vehicle intercepted them and started shooting. The pickup crashed into an electric post and the assassins walked up to the Chevrolet and gave each one a Christmas coup de grace.
If the lull in homicides last week was to allow assassins time off for Christmas shopping, the sicarios must have finished in time to get in some last-minute executions before Christmas. Nine persons were murdered on Sunday, and ten were killed on Monday, including an unidentified man shot while riding a bicycle. Then on Tuesday morning two street vendors who sold burritos were gunned down near the Pronaf. Nine men and two women were killed in Juarez between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, and at least six were killed on the day of Christmas eve.
Marisela Rivera Venzor, 40, and her son Juan Ramon Gonzalez Rivera, 17, apparently an El Paso high school student, were found dead in a home in Anapra, stabbed and beaten with a sledge hammer, on Tuesday evening at 8:40 p.m.
At midnight on Tuesday night Raria Ruiz Nevarez, 28, and Jesus Mendoza Vazquez, 32, were shot while driving on Vicente Guerrero. Nine 9 mm cartridges were found at the scene. The next morning, at 8:30 a man was found dead in Col. Villa Esperanza, with multiple wounds. At 11:20 a man was shot several times in the face and killed at a grocery store in col Obrera.
On Wednesday afternoon at about 3:00 p.m. four men were shot to death as they were driving in a gray Cherokee in Loma Blanca. An hour later Jose del Carmen Granados Perales, 33, was shot to death by assassins in a moving vehicle as he stood outside his parents' home near Nigeria and Canada. After the first volley the victim was lying on the ground when one of the assassins got out of his vehicle and shot the victim in the head. Three super 38 cartridges were found nearby. At 8:15 p.m. Gloria Quiroz Adame, 43, was killed along with her 24-year old son and a twelve-year old cousin, inside their home in Col. Campanario. Assassins entered the home and began shooting. Witnesses heard at least 30 gunshots.
This morning an unidentified man was found dead from two bullet wounds, in Col. Francisco Sarabia. Another man, Heriberto Varela, 28, was found lying on the Juárez-Porvenir highway near Agustin Medina Street. Several 40 caliber cartridges were found nearby. Another man was shot while driving his pickup in Lomas de San Jose. He was shot several times in the head. At about 2:40 p.m. in Rincones de Salvarcar a man driving a sports car was killed after he fled from his car, apparently aware he was being pursued. A volley of gunfire killed him and wounded two others. At about the same time a man was killed by assassins in front of a second-hand stand in Parajes del Sur.
Finally, as Christmas Eve was closing in on the most violent city in the world, at about 4:40 p.m. two more men were prevented from surviving through the dusk to nightfall. They were driving in a Chevrolet pickup in Lomas de San José when another vehicle intercepted them and started shooting. The pickup crashed into an electric post and the assassins walked up to the Chevrolet and gave each one a Christmas coup de grace.
By my unofficial count about 2611 persons have been the victims of homicide in Juarez this year. I have consistently underestimated the number of homicide victims in my projections so far this year, because the pace has been accelerating in the past few months. Just four weeks ago, on November 20, I projected a year-end total of 2568.
Compiled from stories in Norte, Diario, El Paso Times, La Polaka
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