Gunmen kill 9 members of US family in Mexico

By Sierra Juarez

QUERETARO (AA) – The Mexican government confirmed gunmen killed nine members of a U.S. Mormon family living in Mexico.

The LeBaron family is a prominent Mormon family in Mexico. They were attacked h Monday on their way from Sonora to the Mormon community of La Mora based in Chihuahua in northern Mexico.

Three women and six children were killed, according to the government. Three of the family members were injured, and one girl is missing after the attack.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a press conference Tuesday that federal and local authorities are in the northern region to investigate. The government said an organized crime group is to blame for the attack.

The government said organized crime groups are waging a turf war between Sonora and Chihuahua and gunman may have confused the family for another organized crime group.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday the family was caught between “two vicious drug cartels.”

“If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively,” Trump tweeted. “This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth.”

The Mexican president took an opposite approach, reinforcing his commitment to not “fight fire with fire.”

But pressure is rising for Lopez Obrador to address rampant violence after a series of attacks over the last several months, including citywide shootouts in Culiacan in October. Mexico is on track to have its most dangerous year since the government began keeping track in 1997.

Several wounded members of the LeBaron family, who have dual U.S.-Mexican citizenships, have been taken to the sate of Arizona for medical treatment.

The Mexican government said the investigation is ongoing. The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau said he will also continue monitoring the situation.