Authorities in northern Mexico are investigating a possible abduction following a pre-dawn shooting in the border city of Ojinaga, state officials said.
The incident was reported around 5:40 a.m., when residents alerted authorities to gunfire in a neighborhood of the municipality, according to Gilberto Loya Chávez, secretary of public security for the state of Chihuahua.
Responding officers found bullet damage to the facade of a home and blood traces inside the property, but no victims have been located, officials said.
Loya Chávez said the evidence suggests a person may have been injured but was either transported from the scene by others or left on their own. No individuals matching the incident have been reported at local hospitals or medical facilities.
Authorities have launched a search operation supported by the state’s Plataforma Centinela surveillance system and are monitoring hospitals in both Ojinaga and the city of Chihuahua. Officials also confirmed coordination with U.S. authorities due to the city’s proximity to Presidio, Texas.
Investigators from the state prosecutor’s office processed the scene at the intersection of Third Street and Cuauhtémoc, where they recovered shell casings and ammunition magazines. The area remains secured as forensic analysis continues.
State officials said there is no evidence of a shootout between armed groups, describing the incident instead as a targeted attack on a residence.
Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui said no deaths or injuries have been officially confirmed.
Authorities noted that the circumstances are consistent with a possible “levantón,” a term used to describe an abduction often linked to organized crime.
The region has seen ongoing violence tied to disputes between criminal groups competing for control of territory and cross-border routes. State officials said such conflicts have led to kidnappings, killings and armed attacks in recent months.
Despite continued operations by state and federal forces, intermittent violence persists in the corridor connecting Aldama and Ojinaga, an area considered strategic for criminal activity near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Photo: Diario de Chihuahua
