Black America’s Kidnapped and Killed in Mexico Mistaken for Drug Dealing
The four Black Americans who were kidnapped and killed in Matamoros, Mexico, last week were likely mistaken for competing drug smugglers or caught in the crossfire between warring factions of a cartel that operates in the area, Mexican officials say. Investigators are still pursuing several lines of inquiry, but Mexican law enforcement papers obtained by Reuters suggest the Americans could have been targeted for drug trafficking.
Latavia Washington McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric Williams were all travelling in a minivan for what they believed was a ‘tummy tuck’ surgery, their relatives said. They were driving into the town of Matamoros Friday morning when they came under fire and were abducted, according to Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal.
They were dragged into a truck and driven away by armed men, police said. In a bid to locate the unidentified victims, the FBI has issued a $50,000 reward.
One American, who was rescued from the scene, was shot three times in his legs. He is expected to undergo surgery in Texas, his wife Michele Williams told CNN.
The victims, who lived in South Carolina, were driving to the Mexico border town of Matamoros for a cosmetic surgery procedure when gunmen abducted them, the FBI says. They were killed or wounded and an innocent bystander was also killed, the agency says. The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile incidents that have taken place in the region, where rival factions of the Gulf cartel and other drug groups have been fighting in broad daylight for weeks.
