At least six children and three women living in a community of U.S. citizens in Mexico were shot to death on Monday and several others were reportedly kidnapped after their convoy came under fire during a brazen daylight ambush believed to have been carried out by gunmen affiliated with organized crime in the country.
Those attacked were members of the LeBaron family, a well-known American clan who has lived in the fundamentalist community in the northern part of the country for decades, according to The New York Times.
Kenny LeBaron, a cousin to several of the victims, told The Times he feared the death toll could increase.
“When you know there are babies tied in a car seat that are burning because of some twisted evil that’s in this world,” LeBaron said, “it’s just hard to cope with that.”
More than a dozen other members of La Mora — a decades-old settlement in Sonora state founded as part of an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — were missing after the attack on the convoy of three SUVs, a relative told the Associated Press.
The victims were all reportedly dual Mexican and U.S. citizens and were traveling back to the U.S. when they were ambushed, according to Utah’s KUTV.
In two tweets Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump hit out at the “monsters” who perpetrated the act.
“A wonderful family and friends from Utah got caught between two vicious drug cartels, who were shooting at each other, with the result being many great American people killed, including young children, and some missing. If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively. The great new President of Mexico has made this a big issue, but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!”
….monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively. The great new President of Mexico has made this a big issue, but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2019
Early reports indicated the tragedy could have been a case of mistaken identity, but recent history also raises the possibility the LeBaron family was the intended target.
Only a decade ago, two members of the family opposed to local drug trafficking groups were kidnapped and murdered, according to The Times.
Lafe Langford Jr., another relative, shared a video on Facebook that showed a burned-out, bullet-ridden SUV where the bodies of a woman, identified as Rhonita Maria LeBaron — and her four children, twin 6-month-olds and two others, aged 8 and 10 — were reportedly found outside the town of Bavispe, where the settlement is located.
The LeBarons were American citizens, according to The Times.
Relatives claim that cartel members kidnapped surviving church members after the initial shootout.
Langford Jr., who grew up in the settlement but now lives in the U.S., told the Salt Lake Tribune the bodies of the two other mothers in the group — 43-year-old Dawna Ray Langford and 31-year-old Christina Marie Langford — were found in a separate location later Monday.
A third relative said a 4-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were also killed, bringing the death toll to at least nine.
Mexico’s federal Department of Security and Citizens’ Protection said security forces were reinforced with National Guard, army and state police troops in the area following “the reports about disappearance and aggression against several people.” The troops were searching for the missing community members, believed to include 11 children or more.
According to Langford Jr.’s Facebook post, one of the older boys in the group managed to escape with six of his siblings from the ongoing shootout and run back to his home at La Mora settlement, which is located about 70 miles south of Douglas, Arizona.
He said he left other children who were injured hidden on the side of the road.
It was unclear how many children were ultimately rescued as of Monday evening.
Many of the church’s members were born in Mexico and thus have dual U.S. citizenship.
The three SUVs left Bavispe and were traveling on the outskirts of Sonora, near the neighboring state of Chihuahua, when they were reportedly attacked.
Claudia Pavlovich Arellano, the governor from Sonora, tweeted in Spanish her determination to find the killers.
“As a mother I feel courage, repudiation and deep pain for what cowards did in the mountains between Sonora and Chihuahua,” she wrote.
“I don’t know what kind of monsters dare to hurt women and children. As governor, I will do everything to make sure this does not go unpunished and those responsible pay.”
The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying, “The safety and welfare of U.S. citizens abroad is among the Department of State’s top priorities. When a U.S. citizen is missing or passes away overseas, we engage with local officials at multiple levels and provide all appropriate consular assistance,” according to Salt Lake City, Utah’s KSL-TV.
The Associated Press contributed to this Fox News report, which is used by permission.
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