1 dead, 1 wounded after gunfire rings out at Juarez airport; prosecutors say no arrests yet
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — A woman was dead and a man injured following gunfire Wednesday night at the Abraham Gonzalez International Airport in Juarez, prosecutors confirmed Thursday, but no arrests had yet been made.
The shooting occurred around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday in a parking lot outside the airport and the gunmen were chased off by National Guardsmen, prosecutors said.
An airport employee was injured by the gunfire and was taken to a hospital, where officials said he was treated and survived the attack. Prosecutors didn't believe the man was the intended target.
Meanwhile, officials said a woman who witnessed the shooting died at the scene of a heart attack. She was identified Thursday as 62-year-old Virginia Castillo.
The Mexican media outlet El Diario said the woman's body was removed from the scene around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday as dozens of police and military secured the airport grounds.
The gunfire erupted as a flight from Guadalajara was arriving, according to media reports, with bullets hitting glass doors scattering debris. It was unknown whether someone on that flight may have been the gunmen's target.
The gunmen are believed to have initially fled from the airport in a pickup truck, which was later found crashed. Prosecutors said the truck was among several vehicles seized in their investigation of the attack, although no arrests had occurred so far.
It was the second act of violence at the airport this week. On Monday, the mayor of Villa Ahumada's son was shot and killed along a street outside the airport.
According to a tally by Norte Digital, there were about 30 violent deaths over the first four days of March in Juarez.