Drug cartel hitmen have reportedly murdered their own boss in a shocking case of mistaken identity.
The shootout took place at a private health clinic in Culiacán, Mexico, last Thursday night, September 28.
Sinaloa Cartel gunmen loyal to Los Chapitos – the sons of infamous drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán – are thought to have been at the hospital guarding another man who was receiving treatment.
A gunfight broke out when another armed man showed up. According to El Blog del Narco, that man was the elusive “El 22,” who is thought to have been the gangster responsible for running the cartel’s operations in Guamúchil, Sinaloa.
“That’s the bad thing about not knowing the boss,” a source said. It is thought that El 22 was visiting the clinic in order to pay for the wounded man’s surgery. The gunmen assumed he was a rival hitman coming to finish the injured man off.
Four people died in the fighting including Dr Otniel Montoya, who was caught in the crossfire.
One of the hitmen who killed his own boss required medical attention when the fighting came to an end. It has been reported that he used a gun on himself after realising his fatal mistake, choosing to take his own life rather than face whatever gruesome punishment the cartel would’ve had in store for him.
Videos have since emerged on social media purporting to show El 22’s funeral. In them, flower displays are seen alongside the names of El Chapo’s sons, who were showing their respect.