A seven-year-old American girl was killed after Mexican police allegedly opened fire on her family’s vehicle during an anti-drug operation, reportedly mistaking them for members of a criminal cartel.
Aranza Aydelany Pardo died on October 29 after being struck in the head by a bullet while travelling with her family through Matamoros, a Mexican city close to the United States border.
The shooting happened during a security operation in which police were responding to violence linked to the Gulf Cartel.
Officers reportedly fired from a helicopter at the family’s vehicle, killing the child.
Family Caught in Violence Following Cartel Arrest
The incident occurred on the same day Mexican authorities arrested Alfredo Cárdenas Rodríguez, an alleged senior member of the Gulf Cartel.
Following his arrest, cartel members reportedly retaliated by creating blockades across the region, setting vehicles on fire and obstructing roads.
The disruption forced Aranza’s family to leave the highway and take an alternative route.
However, police allegedly began following their vehicle, believing the occupants were cartel members attempting to escape.
Tamaulipas Attorney General Jesus Govea said the police helicopter had been responding to an attack originating from the roadblocks when the shooting occurred.
However, Aranza’s family maintained that they were civilians caught in the crossfire.
Mother Recounts Final Moments Before Daughter’s Death
Speaking about the incident, Aranza’s mother said the family noticed a helicopter following their vehicle shortly after they had diverted from the highway.
She claimed her husband repeatedly pleaded with the helicopter pilot to recognise that they were civilians, but the police allegedly failed to notice the children inside the car.
According to the mother, the family stopped their vehicle and attempted to identify themselves before officers opened fire.
She told Fox San Antonio that she instructed her children to take cover behind her seat as bullets struck their vehicle.
One of her daughters subsequently alerted her that Aranza had been hit.
“Five seconds later she told me, ‘Mommy, they killed (Aranza). They shot her in the head.’
Then I grabbed my daughter, and she was already dead,” the grieving mother recounted.
The mother also sustained a gunshot injury to her leg, reportedly from the same bullet that killed her daughter.
She further claimed that the police helicopter continued circling above the family as they sheltered inside the vehicle and pleaded for their lives.
Family Says All Six Children Are American Citizens
Aranza’s family said the seven-year-old and her five siblings were all born in the United States and hold American citizenship.
Her mother explained that they had been travelling through Matamoros when the cartel-related roadblocks forced them to change their route.
The family maintains that they were not involved in criminal activities and were simply trying to get away from the violence when the police helicopter began following them.
Investigation Confirms Bullet Came From Police Helicopter
Mexican authorities have launched an investigation into the shooting.
Prosecutors have reportedly confirmed that the bullet responsible for Aranza’s death originated from a state police helicopter.
They also said investigators had made significant progress in examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.
However, Tamaulipas Attorney General Jesus Govea confirmed that the officers involved in the shooting had not been arrested.
Arrest of Alleged Gulf Cartel Leader Triggered Violence
The security operation was connected to the October 29 arrest of Alfredo Cárdenas Rodríguez, an alleged high-ranking Gulf Cartel member also known as ‘Axel’.
Following the arrest, Mexico‘s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch shared an image of Rodríguez in handcuffs on social media.
Harfuch said the alleged cartel figure had been linked to kidnappings, homicides and extortion, as well as the trafficking of drugs, weapons and people into the United States.
The arrest was followed by widespread road blockades and vehicle fires across the region, creating the circumstances in which Aranza and her family were caught in the fatal shooting.
