David Langford lost his wife and two sons in a violent ambush in Mexico on Nov. 4. He spoke in public for the first time after the tragedy and has made the decision to leave Mexico with the rest of his family because “you don’t get justice too much in Mexico,” he said in an interview with ABC.
“So now it’s my whole life has turned upside down. Not only have I lost a wife and two children, but I’m having to move the rest of my family with really no place to go at this point,” Langford said on ABC’s “World News Tonight” on Nov. 10. “I believe in forgiveness, but I also believe in justice and forgiveness doesn’t rob justice. You don’t get justice too much in Mexico.”
Langford’s 13-year-old son, Devin, who survived the attack, walked for 14 miles to their settlement in La Mora looking for help after he hid his injured brothers and sisters.
“Every one of my children that survived that are living miracles,” Langford said. “How many bullet holes were fired into that vehicle … at that horrific scene and how many children were involved. It’s amazing. It’s amazing. It’s beyond amazing that they survived.”
“To be honest with you, my boy’s a hero simply because he gave his life for his brothers and sisters,” he said.
Langford’s wife Dawna and two of his sons, Trevor Langford, 11, and Rogan Langford, 2, were among the nine women and children killed during the ambush in the Mexican state of Sonora. Authorities suspect Mexican drug cartel hitmen carried out the attack.
Langford decided to leave the area with his family since they can’t avoid the violence of the drug cartels. They had been living in the area for decades.
“It’s not worth living in fear,” said Langford. “The toughest part for me was saying goodbye … saying goodbye to two innocent lives that were cut short and a vibrant wife that lived a life to its fullest that had many friends and was loved by all by everybody.”
Family Mourns the Death of 9 Americans Killed in Mexico
Three Mexican-American mothers and six children were killed while leaving their settlements in a caravan of SUVs in Sonora, Mexico, on Nov. 4.
“All three of them were just the sweetest women,” said Leah Staddon, who told The Washington Post that she was related to the now-deceased women, “just beautiful mothers and wives and friends to the whole community.”
The victims were: 30-year-old Rhonita Miller, also known as Rhonita Maria LeBaron; 43-year-old Dawna Ray Langford; and 31-year-old Christina Marie Langford, Lafe Langford Jr. told the Salt Lake Tribune. Four of Miller’s children and two of Langford’s children, an 11-year-old and a 3-year-old, were also killed.
Another five children were injured and taken to a hospital in U.S. territory. They were all identified as part of the LeBaron family.
“There are very, very dedicated mothers,” said Daniel LeBaron, a cousin of Miller, to the Post. “They were super dedicated to their children, and [taught them] the value of hard work since they were young.”
“Our family’s real industrious,” said Kenny LeBaron, a cousin of Johnson, “I don’t think there’s a single member of our family that’s 25 years old that doesn’t own a company.”
The 1,000-acre ranch community where they lived, La Mora, was known to be quiet and peaceful, but in recent years, crime groups contending for power in the region have caused terror to the small community.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
