The 26-year-old mother of an eight-month-old baby who died tragically in a bus fire set by cartel members Monday, May 21 is set to be transferred to the special burns unit at the Shriner’s Hospitali n Galveston, Texas.
The woman – who is being referred to simply as Elizabeth – has been in critical condition since she was admitted to hospital with burns over 90 percent of her body.
The violence in Guadalajara erupted in the wake of the failed attempted assassination of former Attorney General Luis Carlos Najera outside an Avenida Chapultepec restaurant.
Officials Wednesday said they have delayed the transfer of the mother to Texas due to the precariousness of her condition. Burn victims are extremely vulnerable to infection and the journey to Galveston might present too great a risk, doctors believe.
An additional factor delaying her treatment by a specialist is the obtaining of a visa from the U.S. Consulate, a process currently underway.
Governor Aristoteles Sandoval promised the victims they would receive the best possible treatment available.
Two members of Najera’s security detail remain hospitalized – one stable, the other in grave condition – while a third has been discharged. In addition, two sisters aged 14 and 16 who were selling chewing gum on the sidewalk when the firefight broke out were wounded during the exchange. According to officials, bullet wounds to both their legs have been operated upon and they are in stable condition.
State health officials have pledged to cover all the victims’ medical expenses, including rehab.
Suspects held in custody
Meanwhile, a judge has handed down a “preliminary sentence” of two years’ “preventive jail time” on five suspects arrested after the attempted slaying of Najera.
Attorney General Raul Sanchez Jimenez said the measure buys the wheels of justice time to hand down a final sentence and ensure the suspects don’t flee.
The measure of applying “preventive jail time” up to a period of two years is legal and was a key part of Mexico’s criminal reform package approved in 2016.
Six men were apprehended in Zapopan following the May 21 incident. One of the gunmen perished from a heart attack, leaving five suspects to be processed by authorities.
Two more suspects were detained in Zapopan’s Bugambilias neighborhood on Tuesday.