Innocent Nurse and Child Gunned Down by Soldiers

Nuevo Laredo, a town once again thrust into the spotlight for bloodshed, has been left reeling after two heart-wrenching events resulted in the deaths of a beloved nurse and a young girl. Families have been left shattered and questions remain unanswered as soldiers and National Guard members have been implicated in the tragic killings.

On Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12, a double blow of brutality struck the Tamaulipas municipality, with both incidents sparking outrage and leaving a community demanding justice. In a place where the shadow of violence has loomed for over a decade, these deaths have further exposed the tragic consequences of heavy-handed military tactics in the region.

A Nurse's Life Cut Short

The evening of Friday, October 11, was meant to be an ordinary night for 46-year-old nurse Yuricie Rivera Elizalde and her family. She, her husband, Victor Manuel Carrillo Martinez, and their 9-year-old son were driving along Eva Samano Avenue in their 2015 Chevrolet Equinox pickup truck. The family was en route to dinner, unaware of the horror that was about to unfold.

As they approached the intersection with Villagran, the traffic ahead was suddenly blocked by soldiers. Carrillo slowed the vehicle as he neared the makeshift roadblock. Moments later, the sound of gunfire erupted in the air. The terrifying noise was followed by devastating realization – Yuricie had been hit. In a desperate bid for help, Carrillo pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and pleaded with the soldiers to aid his injured wife. His cries, however, fell on deaf ears.

As panic set in, other drivers on the road stopped in disbelief at the scene. Carrillo, desperate to shield his son from the chaos, quickly got him out of the car. But help never came for Yuricie. She was a nurse for the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), a position she had held since 2017, and someone known for dedicating her life to saving others. Now, cruelly, her own life had been taken.

The Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office (FGJ) has since collected forensic evidence in connection with the killing. But at the time of writing, the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) has yet to issue any public statement on the event. The silence has only further inflamed a community haunted by the long-standing violence perpetrated by members of the Armed Forces.

A Child's Life Stolen

Just a day after the brutal slaying of Nurse Rivera, tragedy struck once again. This time, the victims were 60-year-old Lidia Galván and her granddaughter, 8-year-old Iris "Y", who became the latest casualties of a shocking act of violence in the Palmares neighborhood of Nuevo Laredo.

The grandmother and granddaughter were driving through the quiet streets in their Cobalt vehicle when they were struck by a National Guard truck. The collision, which occurred at the intersection of Chiapas and Río Bravo streets, was followed by the horrifying sound of gunshots. The moments that followed would be seared into Lidia’s memory forever.

After the impact, Lidia quickly realised the unthinkable: her precious granddaughter had been hit. Iris had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. In a frantic attempt to save her, Lidia scrambled to get out of the car. She climbed through a window, crying out for help from the same National Guard members who had just attacked them.

“I shouted to the soldiers, ‘please help me, my daughter is dying,’” Lidia recalled. “They didn’t want to come near at first. It seemed like they didn’t want to face what had happened.”

Eventually, the soldiers moved to assist, rushing both Lidia and Iris to the General Hospital. But it was too late. Iris died soon after they arrived, her life tragically cut short.

The sorrow of this devastating loss weighs heavy on Lidia. In her grief-stricken account of the horrific event, she remembers the desperation of watching her granddaughter fade away. “When I saw the girl bleeding, I shouted to her, ‘move Iris, move,’” Lidia said. “She responded to me, but she was losing so much blood.”

The National Guard’s reluctance to act in the immediate aftermath only deepens the outrage surrounding the killing. Lidia describes how the guards initially stood by in shock, as if unable to comprehend the horror they had just inflicted.

Despite the mounting fury, authorities have yet to provide any explanation for the actions that led to the deadly shooting. As family members arrived at the scene of the attack, they were reportedly met with hostility, as military personnel allegedly responded with tear gas to disperse the crowd of grieving relatives.

A Grim Pattern of Violence

These two devastating incidents are not isolated events. They fit into a long and bloody history of military violence in Nuevo Laredo, a town that has seen a terrifying number of killings and injuries at the hands of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies. The statistics are harrowing. For 14 years, Nuevo Laredo has consistently been the most dangerous place in Tamaulipas when it comes to deaths or injuries caused by military personnel, members of the National Guard, and state police.

One of the most heart-wrenching examples came in August 2022, when soldiers opened fire on the Pérez Rodríguez family, killing 4-year-old Heidi “M” in the crossfire. Just six months later, in February 2023, five young people were murdered by soldiers as they returned home from a night out. Each case has added to the painful legacy of unchecked military violence in the region.

As Nuevo Laredo grapples with the shocking deaths of nurse Yuricie and young Iris, there are growing demands for accountability. The community wants answers, but so far, those in power have remained silent. Both families, and indeed the entire municipality, have been left to mourn loved ones taken too soon, while they wait for justice that seems ever more elusive.

In the meantime, the tragedies of October 11 and 12 will remain a grim reminder of the human toll that comes with militarized violence. As long as the deadly clashes between civilians and armed forces continue, it seems that no family is truly safe in Nuevo Laredo.