Mexico City police chief injured in assassination attempt; 3 dead
Three shot and killed, including two of public security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch's bodyguards
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Mexico City’s police chief survived a brazen assassination attempt Friday morning carried out by gunmen with assault weapons and grenades.
Two bodyguards protecting public security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch were killed in the attack as well as an innocent bystander, according to reports.
A short time later and apparently from his hospital bed, Garcia on Twitter blamed the "cowardly attack" on one of Mexcio's most violent cartels, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to Reuters.
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.Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said a large truck holding gunmen with rifles blocked the chief's SUV and opened fire, the Associated Press reported. It happened around 6:30 a.m.
Police officers arrive at the area where a shooting took place in Mexico City, Mexico, June 26, 2020. (REUTERS/Henry Romero)
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The third person killed in the attack was a woman who just happened to be driving past the scene.
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Sheinbaum said the city's security cameras recorded the attack.
“We're going to keep working in the city” to make it safe even if it leads to events like this, Sheinbaum said. She declined to speculate on who she suspected was responsible.
The police said in a statement that gunmen armed with .50 caliber sniper rifles and grenades exchanged fire with the chief's security detail. The statement said two police were wounded.
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A Mexico City official said the police chief suffered three gunshot wounds, Reuters reported.
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Authorities arrested 12 people in connection with the incident, Mexico City attorney general Ernestina Godoy said, according to Reuters.
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An abandoned vehicle that is believed to have been used by gunmen in an attack against the chief of police is sealed off with yellow tape and guarded by police, in Mexico City, Friday, June 26, 2020. Heavily armed gunmen attacked and wounded Omar Garcia Harfuch in a brazen operation that left an unspecified number of dead, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blamed the violence on those opposed to efforts by local officials to establish order in the city.
“It has to do without a doubt with the work he is carrying out to guarantee peace and tranquility,” López Obrador said.
Those in Lomas de Chapultepec who heard the gunshots said they lasted several minutes.
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The neighborhood is home to many wealthy residents and the location of ambassadorial residences.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.