Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission said Thursday that 22 people were arbitrarily killed by federal police during that raid.
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The CNDH report suggests that police raided the ranch early in the morning – when numerous suspected cartel members were sleeping – with conflicting evidence as to how the victims were killed.
A total of 42 suspected members of a drug cartel died in the clash, as well as one police officer.
Mexican police massacred 22 civilians in arbitrary executions during a raid on a drug gang past year, a human rights ombudsman said Thursday. The National Human Rights Commission says five people were killed when a police Black Hawk helicopter fired 4,000 rounds at the ranch house after the officer was shot, the BBC reports.
The report found that police moved bodies and weapons to cover up arbitrary killings, while two bodies were burnt and two suspects were tortured while in custody.
In a press conference, Mexico’s National Security Commissioner Renato Sales said that he did not accept that police carried out the alleged executions, but rather “acted in legitimate defense” against “imminent and unlawful aggression”. The number of suspected criminals killed in this incident was the highest since President Enrique Pena Nieto assumed office in 2012, the news agency reported.
Sales said federal police ordered the suspects to drop their weapons and surrender, but were answered with gunfire.
Eighteen of the victims were found barefoot and one just in his underpants, leading the commission to conclude most were asleep when police arrived.
The government refused to release the post-mortem reports for the victims.
According to Britain’s BBC News, 40 people died of gunshot wounds, one person was run over by a auto during the raid and another died in a fire.
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