32-year-old Mexican police officer, Eduardo Triana Sandoval, was killed in a hail of over 150 bullets in broad daylight, after being involved in the botched operation to arrest one of drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s sons October 17th. According to Fox News, the officer was killed in Culiacan, Sinaloa on Wednesday, three weeks after militarized police captured and then released Ovidio Guzman Lopez after a brutal shootout with the cartel.
CCTV captured the moment when at least two armed men with semiautomatic rifles jumped out of a red SUV and opened fire at a white sedan, occupied by the officer. In less than 30 seconds, the gunmen used an AR-15 and an AK-47 to fire at least 150 bullets into the sedan, killing Triana Sandoval instantly.
Local media outlets reported Triana Sandoval played a role in the failed attempt to apprehend Guzmán López. However, Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, chief of Sinaloa Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection, said that Triana Sandoval and many other members of the state police were not participants in the raid. Although not involved in Guzman’s arrest, the officer was called in to assist the subsequent security operation.
The arrest sparked major clashes between security forces and the cartel in Culiacan and eventually leading to the release of Guzman in an effort to dissolve the feud. Newsweek reported shoot outs lasting hours, with cartel fighters blocking off major roads with burning vehicles, restrained police officers in defensive positions and even attacked neighborhoods where officers’ families live. At least eight people were reportedly killed.
