The shooting
The Mazatlan Carnival shooting occurred on 10 February 2002 when two Sinaloa Cartel gunmen murdered Tijuana Cartel boss Ramon Arellano Felix and his bodyguard Alambra during the Mazatlan Carnival in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Arellano Felix had been lured to the city by his treacherous underling Carlos Tirado Lizarraga, who told him that his enemy Ismael Zambada Garcia had entered the city with just two bodyguards, making him a good target; however, Tirado was forced to lure Arellano Felix into a trap, as Zambada and El Chapo had arranged for his sister Aracely to be kidnapped and held hostage. Arellano Felix decided to take Alambra with him to search the crowd for Zambada Garcia, while Tirado would cover their escape route. As the two men walked onto a sidewalk, Tirado called them, causing them to turn around. Just then, two gunmen came up behind Arellano Felix and Alambra and shot them several times with handguns, killing them instantly. The parade crowd dispersed in a panic, and Arellano Felix's death would be reported to President Vicente Fox by PRI Mazatlan deputy Conrado Higuera Sol. His death was later passed off as a police operation at a traffic stop.