A 7-year-old American girl, Aranza Aydelany Pardo, was killed by a bullet fired from a Tamaulipas State Guard helicopter during a security operation in Matamoros, according to findings released by state prosecutors. Her mother, who was also wounded, described the shooting and said the family is now seeking asylum in the United States.
A 7-year-old American girl was killed by a bullet fired from a Mexican state police helicopter during a security operation in Matamoros, Mexico, according to findings released by Tamaulipas prosecutors. The girl, identified as Aranza Aydelany Pardo, was traveling with her parents and five siblings when the family came under fire amid violence that erupted following the arrest of an alleged Gulf Cartel leader.
"Mommy, I'm scared." Those were among the last words the girl spoke before she was killed by gunfire from the helicopter, according to her mother, who was also shot and suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. The mother described the terrifying moments her family came under fire and the loss of her daughter.
The family was traveling near Matamoros when cartel-related violence triggered roadblocks, burning vehicles and widespread chaos. The mother said the roadblocks forced her husband off the Reynosa-Matamoros highway and onto another route. That was when, she said, a helicopter began circling their vehicle. Her husband tried signaling to the people aboard the aircraft, hoping they would see the children inside.
The mother said the bullet that killed Aranza also struck her leg. "I grabbed my daughter and I fell, but I grabbed my daughter tight and dragged her and I on the ground," she said. She claimed the helicopter continued circling as the family desperately tried to escape. The family affectionately called Aranza "China" because of her curly hair.
By Nov. 6, Mexican prosecutors had confirmed that the bullet that killed Aranza came from a Tamaulipas State Guard helicopter. Ballistics testing linked the 7.62 mm projectile to weapons carried aboard the aircraft. Authorities said four people were aboard the helicopter: a pilot and three armed officers. Investigators had not identified which officer fired the fatal shot.
The Tamaulipas Public Security Secretariat said the helicopter was conducting reconnaissance operations when officers came under fire from the ground and returned fire. Aranza's mother disputes that account, insisting her family was not involved in any confrontation. She also said Mexican authorities visited the family and told them investigators had identified the helicopter involved. "They came to my sister's house and told us that they had the soldiers who were on the helicopter," she said. "They are doing tests and they know it was a state police officer. It wasn't a stray bullet. They knew who it was."
After the shooting, the mother said she was left bleeding while holding her daughter's body. Roadblocks prevented an ambulance from reaching the family, leaving them stranded for hours. Neighbors eventually came to help, and one man used a bandana in an attempt to stop the mother's bleeding. The emotional wounds have been just as devastating: the mother said her 12-year-old daughter witnessed Aranza's death and is struggling to cope with what happened.
The family had moved to Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, seeking a more affordable life. Both parents had lived legally in the United States for years, and all six of their children were born American citizens, according to the family. Following the shooting, the parents said they no longer feel safe living in Mexico. Aranza's mother said the U.S. Consulate has been in contact with the family, and the parents are now seeking asylum in the United States. "I want to see if they will give us asylum here," the mother said. "We don't know if we will be safe."
For Aranza's family, the investigation is about more than identifying the person who pulled the trigger; her mother wants accountability for the death of her daughter. She described Aranza as a happy little girl who loved dancing, singing and playing with her siblings. "A happy child, never angry, always laughing, dancing, singing, playing," she recalled. One of the hardest moments has been explaining to her surviving children why their sister will never come home. "Very close to her siblings. Now the little one asks when her sister is coming back, if she will wake up one day and return home." Of a family of six American children caught in violence just across the Texas border, five survived.
Tamaulipas prosecutors (Fiscalía de Tamaulipas); Tamaulipas Public Security Secretariat (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública de Tamaulipas); the family of Aranza Aydelany Pardo; U.S. Consulate