AZMEX SPECIAL 21 APR 2012
Note: Skeptic alert; some interesting assumptions and assertions
here. Advise boots once again. The Sheriff knows well that it is
still a popular, widely followed sport among non anglos. Same in
AZ. Tactical issue, they don't seem to know difference between a
raid and a ambush?
3 charged after ambush at La Blanca cockfight that left 11 shot, 3 dead
April 21, 2012 12:21 AM
Jared Taylor,
http://www.themonitor.com/news/arrested-60284-blancaat-cockfight.html
Charges, Updated Conditions::
THE SUSPECTS:
>> Leticia Leandro, 52, of La Blanca, charged with cockfighting and
engaging in organized criminal activity, both state jail felonies
>> Heriberto Leandro, 51, of La Blanca, charged with cockfighting
and engaging in organized criminal activity, both state jail felonies
>> Humberto Blanco, 37, of rural Mission, charged with cockfighting
and engaging in organized criminal activity, both state jail felonies
THE VICTIMS:
>> Ramiro Macias Garcia, 49, of Edinburg, killed in the attack. U.S.
permanent resident originally from Valle Hermoso, Tamps.
>> Juan Santos Macias Garcia, 53, of Edinburg, killed in the attack.
U.S. permanent resident originally from Valle Hermoso, Tamps.
>> Arturo Buentello Garza, 42, of McAllen, killed in the attack.
U.S. Citizen
>> Salvador Morales Jr., 28, of Edcouch. Remains hospitalized in
critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest. U.S.
citizen
>> Jose Solis Chapa, 31, of La Blanca. Suffered gunshot wounds to
his legs, released from hospital. Mexican national
>> Daniel Hernandez, 40, of McAllen. Remains hospitalized in stable
condition. U.S. citizen
>> Arnoldo Luna, 49, of Edinburg. Remains hospitalized in critical
condition with a gunshot that grazed his head. Mexican national
>> Geraldo Castilla, 50, of Elsa. Relased from hospital. U.S. citizen
>> Manuel Sanchez Jr., 52, of Monte Alto. Released from hospital.
U.S. citizen
>> Eloid Salazar, 44, of Hargill. Still hospitalized after surgery
on a gunshot wound to his hand. Under deputy watch on a fugitive
warrant. U.S. citizen
>> Oscar Garza, 57, of Hargill. Remains hospitalized with gunshot
wounds to his legs. U.S. citizen
If you have a tip:
>> Got a tip? Anyone with information about the shooters involved in
Thursday's attack near La Blanca is urged to call Hidalgo County
Crime Stoppers at (956) 668-8477.
EDINBURG — Three people — including a married couple — face felony
charges after masked gunmen ambushed a cockfight near La Blanca early
Thursday morning.
Hidalgo County Justice of the Peace Homer Jasso formally charged
Leticia Leandro, 52, Heriberto Leandro, 51, and Humberto Blanco, 37,
with cockfighting and engaging in organized criminal activity at an
arraignment Friday afternoon at the county jail. Bond was set at $1
million each.
Sheriff's deputies have not arrested any of the gunmen who opened
fire "indiscriminately" at the cockfight shortly after midnight
Thursday.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said the shooters targeted two
brothers — Edinburg residents Ramiro and Juan Santos Macias Garcia —
amid the volley of rounds fired into the crowd of about 200
spectators at the cockfight.
Also slain in the attack was McAllen resident Arturo Buentello Garza,
42, believed to be an innocent bystander attending the cockfight.
"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and caught the
barrage of bullets," Treviño said.
Eight other men were shot in the attack, with five victims still
hospitalized on Friday.
A recording of the 9-1-1 calls obtained by The Associated Press
details the pandemonium that ensued when two to four masked gunmen
opened fire at a cockfight near Edcouch, about 15 miles northeast of
McAllen, where as many as 200 people were present.
"My husband is shot and he has a cellphone, but he says he was
dying," said a woman on the 9-1-1 tape who had received a call from
her wounded husband. "He says he doesn't know exactly where he's at.
I think he ran."
The man was critically wounded, but survived.
Another woman called as she was escaping the shooting. She tried to
explain the location.
"We had to take off, ma'am," she told the dispatcher. "We have kids.
There was a machine gun. There's everything, ma'am. There's a shootout."
Blanco is accused of operating an elaborate cockfighting operation
south of Mile 20 North on Jesus Flores Road, a dirt route that cuts
through the remote fields of northeast Hidalgo County.
Heriberto Leandro and Leticia Leandro, husband and wife, own the
property where the cockfights occurred, Treviño said. They were not
present during Thursday's early morning attack.
The cockfighting operation did not take a share of bets placed on the
sparring roosters. Rather, the organizers collected entrance fees and
proceeds from concessions sold at the events.
The cockfighting venue featured a metal awning with several palenques
— cockfighting rings — bleachers, a rooster weigh-in room, concession
stand and tournament brackets that tracked the best birds.
Treviño said much of the evidence was destroyed in the ambush, with
hundreds of spectators trampling over the three bodies, bullet
casings and other footprints that could have helped build the case.
"This was the crime scene from hell," the sheriff said Friday,
echoing a previous description of the scene. "People were trampling
over each other, over the dead.
"Why they indiscriminately sprayed the area with bullets, I don't know."
The sheriff said investigators do not believe the shooters have ties
to Mexico. Because they were masked, he said they likely were known
to the victims and others attending the cockfight — and were out for
revenge against the Garcia brothers, originally from Valle Hermoso,
Tamps., after a previous drive-by shooting.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with a hit team coming in from
Mexico," the sheriff said. "This is a strictly local issue."
More suspects are expected to face arrest in the case. Treviño said a
pair of men — including a prominent local businessman — with ties to
the ring uncovered Thursday and who operate other cockfighting venues
across Hidalgo County could be taken into custody next week.
"They are responsible for this," he said.
Cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The sheriff said smaller operations have been busted in recent
months, but it remains a popular underground — if not violent —
pastime across South Texas.
Thursday's ambush — it remains unclear whether anyone returned fire —
near La Blanca was not the first cockfight where the humans resorted
to violence, either. Three men were injured when they exchanged
gunfire at a 2008 cockfight near Alton.
"It is a magnet for criminality," he said.
Cockfighting is a state jail felony that carries a maximum punishment
of two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Combined with engaging in
organized criminal activity, the two criminal charges against the
three suspects are enhanced to a third-degree felony that has a
maximum prison sentence of 10 years, Treviño said.
Misdemeanor charges are expected to be filed against the eight men
shot while at the cockfight. State law prohibits visiting a
cockfight, as well.
The sheriff lamented Thursday morning's ambush, saying it may have
been prevented, had neighbors reported it to authorities sooner.
Neighbors have said the cockfighting operation held events at least
once a week for several years.
"We would have acted because it's against the law," Treviño said.
Apr 21, 12:52 AM EDT
Cockfight shooting believed to be sloppy hit
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/
US_TEXAS_COCKFIGHTING_SHOOTING_TXOL-?
SITE=TXMCA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- Frantic calls to emergency responders
described a chaotic scene with people frightened, wounded and fleeing
in all directions after masked gunmen opened fire on a Texas
cockfight near the Mexico border.
Authorities believe the wild shooting that left three dead and eight
wounded early Thursday was a sloppy hit on two brothers.
Three people were charged with cockfighting and engaging in organized
criminal activity Friday just before officials identified the
victims, who all had criminal pasts. The brothers believed to be the
target of the shooting were among those killed. The gunmen remained
at large.
A recording of the 911 calls obtained by The Associated Press details
the pandemonium that ensued when two to four masked gunmen opened
fire at a cockfight near Edcouch, about 15 miles northeast of
McAllen, where as many as 200 people were present.
"My husband is shot and he has a cellphone, but he says he was
dying," said a woman on the 911 tape who had received a call from her
wounded husband. "He says he doesn't know exactly where he's at. I
think he ran."
The man was critically wounded, but survived.
Another woman called as she was escaping the shooting. She tried to
explain the location.
"We had to take off, ma'am," she told the dispatcher. "We have kids.
There was a machine gun. There's everything, ma'am. There's a shootout."
Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said Friday it was "the crime
scene from hell." Some 300 beer cans and about 20 dead roosters
littered the ground.
"Obviously they're amateurs," Trevino said of the shooters.
Killed in the fray were 49-year-old Ramiro Garcia and his brother, 53-
year-old Juan Santos Garcia, and 42-year-old Arturo Buentello Garza.
Trevino said Garza was likely a bystander, but the Garcias were well
known to authorities for previous criminal activity, including drug
possession. Trevino said one possibility is that it was revenge for a
previous drive-by shooting, though he did not provide details.
"We believe there are a lot of different groups that had it in for
the Garcias," which will make it difficult to pinpoint the group
responsible for the attack, Trevino said.
The shooting had no connection to violence in Mexico, he said. "This
was strictly a local issue."
Trevino's comments came shortly after arraignment hearings Friday for
51-year-old Heriberto Leandro; his wife, 52-year-old Leticia Leandro;
and 37-year-old Humberto Blanco. They were taken in for questioning
the night of the attack and arrested later Thursday morning.
The Leandros owned the small ranch. Heriberto Leandro built the
corrugated metal pavilion that covered the bleachers and ring. He
told investigators he had tried his hand at running the fights but
didn't make money at it so instead rented the facility to Blanco.
All three were held on $1 million bonds, each charged with one count
of cockfighting and one count of engaging in organized criminal
activity. None spoke at the hearing or had an attorney present.
Trevino said the eight people injured, including two who remained in
critical condition, would eventually face misdemeanor cockfighting
charges.
The crowd is usually highly scrutinized at the gate and witnesses
told investigators the shooters jumped out of a vehicle, leading
Trevino to suspect they may have been smuggled in. Their masks led
investigators to speculate that people at the event probably knew
their attackers.
Cockfights showcase battles between birds that have been fitted with
sharp metal blades or curved spikes on their legs. Spectators gamble
on which bird will be victorious in the sometimes hourlong fights
that end when one or both of the birds are dead or maimed. The last
state to ban cockfighting was Louisiana, in 2008.
The operation makes its money off the entrance fee paid by
participants and the beer and tacos sold at the concession stand,
Trevino said. The house does not typically take a cut of the bets
made among attendees.
"This is a big, big business," Trevino said. "You can generate a lot
of money in this."
In addition to the gunmen, investigators are focusing their attention
on two figures Trevino said are at the top of the area's cockfighting
scene. One is a local business owner, and the other is a major broker
of cockfights. Trevino did not identify either person.
Authorities are also pursuing forfeiture of the property involved.
Anonymous callers have offered authorities numerous tips since the
shooting, but Trevino expressed frustration that no one reported the
cockfighting earlier.
"What upsets me is that the neighbors have known about this for
years," Trevino said. "All they had to do was pick up the phone and
say, `Hey we have a heck of an illegal activity next door. Please
don't use my name, but do something about it,' and I guarantee we
would have."
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