A storm of accusations came down on Aguascalientes municipal police after a woman stole an assault rifle from an open patrol car and fired on passing motorists on Saturday, wounding three.
The woman, identified as Gabriela N., had no trouble stealing the loaded weapon, as the patrol car’s doors were open and the vehicle unoccupied.
The municipal police officer had reportedly entered a nearby Oxxo convenience store to buy a soft drink. His apparent negligence caused indignation and sparked a spate of angry reproaches from state authorities.
State Public Security Secretary Porfirio Sánchez Mendoza denounced the lack of professionalism in the city’s police force and accused it of not following protocol or supervising its officers.
“The state Secretariat of Public Security has always carried out the tasks for which it is responsible, and when necessary in total coordination with the municipal police, despite the fact that its chief [Antonio Martínez Romo] doesn’t always follow state public security laws relating to [inter-agency] coordination,” he said.
He added that in 2019 the state Attorney General’s Office received 120 complaints against Aguascalientes police officers for robbery, abuse of authority and bribery, demonstrating a failure to supervise officers and an obvious lack of ethics.
Aguascalientes Governor Martín Orozco Sandoval urged the city’s mayor, Teresa Jiménez, to take responsibility for Saturday’s incident. He had already met with her in October to warn her that municipal police executives and officers “were not performing their duties.”
After firing on motorists, Gabriela N. was shot in the leg by police and taken to a local hospital for treatment.
She appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of attempted homicide, assault and robbery and was ordered held in custody.
A mother of three, Gabriela N. has a history of theft. She was presumed to be under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.
The three victims of the shooting spree did not suffer serious injuries and have been reported in stable condition.
Sources: Infobae (sp), El Universal (sp)
