He approached a prohibited border point and was attacked by Mexican gangs

During an armed standoff along the southern border of the United States, An Arizona man was shot by Mexican gangs in a conflict region. Craig Ricketts was injured when he was caught in the crossfire of criminal groups.

The incident occurred when Ricketts He was trying to drive from Mexico to Tempe, Arizona, with the intention of visiting his son on Christmas Evehe told the news program Arizona's Family. Looking for an alternative due to the closure of the main crossing to Rocky Point, he opted for the route towards the Sasabe border, an area known for violence and conflict between smuggling gangs.

He was shot while trying to visit his family in the United States

Craig Ricketts had been working in Mexico for more than two decades and the last seven dedicated to building a real estate development in Puerto Libertad. He was on his way to join his family in Tempe when he was caught in an ambush.. “I certainly had no intention of visiting my extended family when they came here, but that's exactly what happened,” he told the news station from his hospital bed in Tucson, where he was admitted after the attack.

Narrating Christmas Eve, Ricketts explained that his GPS led him to the outskirts of Oquitoa, Sonora, a region of the Sonoran Desert where gangs from different criminal groups have been waging violent feuds. Without warning about the danger, his vehicle was the target of at least 16 shots. “The first thing I noticed was that my left window was broken. I saw a bullet hole through the front window and my radio was blown up by a bullet,” he recalled to the show.

Despite being wounded by two gunshots, Ricketts says he has no resentment, as he says he understands the complexity of the environment in which he was trapped and told the news station, “The bottom line is that they don't know who I am. They just wanted to ensure access for traffic.” of people”.

Likewise, the Attorney General's Office in Sonora reported that this violent incident was the second in the region involving an American victim during the month of Decemberunderscoring the danger of certain areas along the southern border.