As previously reported by REVOLT, in early March, four residents from South Carolina drove from their hometown to Matamoros, Mexico to accompany one person who allegedly had a cosmetic procedure scheduled. Before they could reach the appointment, the group was stopped by members of the Gulf Cartel and violently kidnapped. Two were shot to death in the horrific attack.

Yesterday (April 11), CNN’s Anderson Cooper spoke with two of the survivors, LaTavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams, about their traumatizing ordeal. While describing how the kidnapping took place, McGee said the group turned down a side street in an attempt to find the doctor’s office and heard a car beeping at them almost instantly. “Zindell [Brown] was in the back seat. He said, ‘Don’t stop.’ He saw a gun,” she recalled.

Listening to Brown, the Americans continued driving until moments later they were stopped by the same armed men who began shooting at their vehicle. “Zindell and Shaeed [Woodard], they jumped up to run and they were gunned down,” Williams told Cooper. Williams, seated in a wheelchair with a brace on one foot, added that he was also shot in both legs. Continuing the conversation, the guests revealed that Brown and Woodard were still alive before the group was forcefully transported to a second location.

Once taken to a secluded home, McGee claimed the Mexican gunman tortured them by trying to make them have sex with one another. She said they were able to avoid doing so by telling their captors that they were “brothers and sister” and that she was also pregnant. “He was fighting for his life and they didn’t do nothing,” she said of Brown. “I talked to him the whole time… I just told him sorry because I asked him to come with me,” McGee continued. “He was like, ‘It’s okay. I’m your brother. I’m supposed to be there for you. I love you,’” she added. After being held for hours, Brown and Woodard eventually succumbed to their injuries, the two remaining victims emotionally shared, noting they watched their deaths.

A bystander recorded the abduction, and the clip was shared on social media and quickly went viral. McGee said one of the Mexicans watched the footage as he guarded them and showed her the video. The mother of six told Cooper she was relieved the crime was posted since there was a chance the police would see, but didn’t realize it was already being shared in the United States. Authorities previously ruled the kidnapping as a case of mistaken identity after the assailants thought the Americans were Haitian drug smugglers. Days after the massacre, individuals claiming to be part of the Gulf Cartel sent officials an apology for the “lack of discipline” their members exhibited.