Statements from the Mexican government and the White House suggested that drug traffickers in Ciudad Juarez, one of the most violent and dangerous cities on the planet, were to blame of the shot out. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council Mike Hammer, said that President Barack Obama "shares in the outrage of the Mexican people at the murders of thousands in Ciudad Juarez and elsewhere in Mexico.

The White House said President Barack Obama was "deeply saddened and outraged" by the killings of those linked to the US mission in Ciudad Juarez. Around 18,600 people has been killed in Mexico's drug war, mainly cartel members and police officers, since President Felipe Calderon took power and launched an army crackdown on traffickers in late 2006.