Fresno Family of 5 Murdered in Baja California Home in Mexico; Pres. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to Announce New Security Plan for 2nd Most Violent State

A family of five was killed in their Tijuana home in Baja California, Mexico. The family from Fresno, California was composed of a couple and three young children.

The father of the two of the three children still lives in Fresno. The father was identified as Victor Morales, Fox 26 News reported. Morales' children were nine-year-old Andrew and eight-year-old Anamarie.

The children's mother was identified as Jazmen, and her husband was known as Jerry. The couple had a four-year-old child named Sophia.

All five victims, including Morales children, were shot to death on December 3 at around 8:30 p.m. after the attackers invaded their home.

Residents reported the shooting to the 911 Emergency Center and members of the Mexican Army and National Guard and other law enforcement authorities arrived to protect the home, KMJ NOW reported.

Authorities did not provide any other details about the shooting and the suspects. Morales wanted to bring his children back to Fresno, where he would bury them.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to bring Morales' children home in Fresno. Jerry's sister has also set up a GoFundMe account to help bring them home to Fresno.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to Go to Tijuana in Baja California

Baja California would become the third state in Mexico to qualify for reinforced security efforts.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Monday that he would travel to Tijuana, which is Mexico's most violent city, on Saturday to respond to security issues in the northern border state.

Mexico News Daily reported that more than 2,500 homicides were recorded in Tijuana in the first 10 months of the year.

Lopez Obrador said he had a "special plan" to strengthen the security in Baja California, being the second most violent state this year for total homicides.

Guerrero was introduced to a new federal security plan in October, while Zacatecas had theirs in November. The two states got additional members of the National Guard and soldiers.

Mexico's government had also ramped up security efforts in Mexico's 50 most violent municipalities, of which four are Baja California cities, such as Tijuana, Ensenada, Tecate, and Mexicali.

The government's security plans are expected to be announced at a press conference on Saturday.

Violence in Cities of Mexico

Citizens Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice noted that almost six people are killed every day in Tijuana. The group attributed the violence to human trafficking and drug trades by different drug cartels operating in the area, according to Border Report.

Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla said 99 percent of the murders were related to drug cartels and the drug trade. According to Mexico's Public Safety Agency's poll, 80 percent of residents said they do not feel safe living in Tijuana.

State security officials said factions of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel are engaged in a turf war over drug dealing locations in Tijuana and other cities.

Officials further noted that competing cartel factions mainly sell methamphetamine on the streets, adding that cocaine and heroin are also available.

Over 1,000 cartel hitmen have been arrested in the state of Baja California since 2019. A man believed to be the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel in Tijuana was arrested in September. He was also considered to be the main instigator of violence in the city, but violence went on despite his arrest.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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