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Agua Prieta resident: 'I woke up to gunfire'

Multiple sources said there are rumors of the cartels fighting for territory.
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
A border patrol agent patrols the international border between the U.S. and Mexico (Mexico to the left of frame) Thursday, April 27, 2006 in Douglas, Ariz. Much of this dusty city along the border is separated from Mexico by a fence consisting of 12-foot vertical metal bars, spaced inches apart to prevent illegal immigrants from squeezing through. (AP Photo/Matt York)

AGUA PRIETA, Sonora — Many residents of the border town of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, woke up to gunfire in early Monday.

A source said they wake up to gunfire around 3 a.m. Later in the morning, it was unsettlingly quiet around the city. Sources in the city wished to remain anonymous for their safety.

Classes were suspended in private schools, but public schools when on with their “regular day” according to one of the sources.

12 News received photos of a body of a man found on the sidewalk near a funeral home, Funeraria Barragan. The graphic photo shows a man lying face down in a pool of blood. 12 News is trying to confirm the identity of the person who took the photo.

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Another source said there were two people who died. Several cars were damaged, and two vehicles were burned.

12 News also received pictures of several pick-ups around the city with men believed to be “sicarios”.

A source told 12 News they were afraid of the gunfire because it was fairly close to their house. The source told 12 News the gunfire was "expected," but would not elaborate on why it was expected.

Multiple sources said there are rumors of the cartels fighting for territory.

Another person said around noon on Monday that "they" [people fighting for the territory] were on the way out of the city, that they were people from out of town.  

On a Facebook post, Douglas police issued a warning to residents to avoid “unnecessarily travel” to Agua Prieta if they didn’t have to. They also said there is no spillover to Douglas.

Douglas and Agua Prieta border each other on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

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