The deaths of two teenagers killed in crossfire in mountainous Amatlán, Veracruz, have created conflicting emotions.

Sorrow echoed around a humble house of metal sheets and wooden planks, where two white coffins lay adorned with candles and flowers, and dozens of people mourned their loss. Outside, fury reigned as protesters demanded justice.

Cousins Jonathan, 13, and Eduardo, 14, were caught in a shootout between state police officers and presumed members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) on July 2.

Residents occupied the Córdoba-Cuichapa highway, which was closed to traffic. On Saturday, the blockade was extended to a junction that connects the road with the Puebla-Veracruz highway.

Jonathan was shot three times and Eduardo was shot twice, their relatives confirmed. The teenagers had walked a few blocks from home to wash a pickup truck and earn some money.

Before leaving the house, their mothers had congratulated them on their high school grades. “They were the kind of kids that studied … we told them that they had done well and they were thrilled,” Jonathon’s mother said.

“They didn’t deserve to be killed like this … all for a few pesos, ” she added.

State Governor Cuitláhuac García Jiménez confirmed that the cousins were innocent bystanders.
“Unfortunately it was in a populated area, it was in the vicinity of the central square … there were vans with armed people, who faced state officials and an attack started. Unfortunately two young people died who had nothing to do with it,” he said.

With reports from El Universal and e-Veracruz