Since the drug cartels began fighting for control of the smuggling routes leading from Juárez to the United States in 2008, nearly seven thousand people have been killed. The ongoing battle for control for the lucrative drug and human trafficking trade claimed the life of twenty-two year old Texas National Guard Pfc. José Gil Hernández Ramirez this past Wednesday. The El Paso Times reports that Hernández Ramirez was often seen in the residential neighborhood of Revolución Mexicana and neighbors said that he may have been living there with relatives.

Hernández Ramirez and another man identified as forty-two year old Rafael Ramirez Reza were shot eighteen times by gunmen who sped away on motorcycles, both men died at the scene before help could arrive. A third unidentified man who was also shot, was taken to a nearby hospital where he received treatment wounds.

Pfc. Hernández Ramirez joined the Texas National Guard on November 15, 2007 and had been a member of the Headquarters Battery 3rd Battalion, 133 Field Artillery where he was a fire direction sensor specialist.

According to the Texas National Guard, Hernández was a resident of El Paso who attended school during the week and reported for duty and training on the weekends. He was off duty at the time of his death.

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FBI Special Agent Michael Martinez said the Chihuahau state police and the FBI are working together to try to solve Ramirez's murder. But killings in Juárez are almost never solved.

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In 2010, more than 2,470 people have been killed in gun battles, carjacking, executions and other forms of violence in Juárez. More than 6,700 have died in Juárez since drug cartels began fighting for control of the lucrative smuggling corridor in 2008.

The next day, it was as if the shooting never happened. Children rode their bikes around the area where the bodies had lain while families and construction workers bought drinks and food at nearby stores.