Neighbors Scared After Juarez Rehab Center Massacre

by BELO Border Bureau Chief Angela Kocherga

JUAREZ — A group of gunmen massacred 18 people at a drug rehabilitation center in Juarez Wednesday night. Investigators said the death toll might rise since several survivors are hospitalized.

The killings happened just a few blocks from the border.

The mass murder shocked neighbors, who are nearly numb from all the bloodshed in this border city.

“Hay, mire, no se ni que pensar (Wow, I don’t know what to think),”said one person who lives just a few doors down from the crime scene. The sign outside the building says it is a drug rehab center.

Investigators say a group of gunmen walked up to the building, broke down the door and walked down the hallway looking for their targets.

They dragged the victims out, lined them up against the wall and shot them execution-style. Then they ran out, leaving a trail of blood.

“Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. That’s how it sounded,” said one neighbor.

Neighbors heard the gunfire during the killing spree. One woman moved to Juarez to escape high prices in California.

“It’s a lot cheaper,” said Barbara Lampe.

It’s a decision her mother now questions.

“It was scary. I’m ready to move,” said Diana Gordon.

The rehab center kept a pair of pitbulls on the property. Gunmen killed one of the dogs during the attack. The survivor now sits in a pool of blood. Investigators won’t say why the place was targeted.

Neighbors fear the massacre will lead to a wave of revenge killings by drug traffickers battling for turf.