Six policemen killed in armed attack in Mexico

• Six policemen were killed in an armed attack in Mexico.
• A shooting was reported in Zacatecas.
• The police director was among the victims.

On Wednesday, at least six municipal police officers, including the director, were killed in an attack perpetrated by an armed group in Zacatecas in central Mexico. It’s an area where criminal organizations clash with each other, according to Infobae and AP.

The incident occurred at a sports facility in the municipality of Calera, in the state of Zacatecas, where a group of police officers from that town were working out when they were attacked by armed individuals, the State Peacebuilding and Security Board reported in a statement.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Shortly after the shooting, the director and deputy director of the police force went to the scene where the incident took place and were also attacked by the armed group, resulting in injuries to the two officers. During the transfer to a health center, the head of the department died, which raised the death toll to six, state authorities indicated.

Violence has intensified in recent months in Zacatecas, where confrontations and the discovery of bodies have multiplied. Some have been found hanging from bridges and other public places. The incidents have been attributed to disputes between the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels. To deal with criminal groups, the federal government has sent hundreds of Army and National Guard elements to Zacatecas in recent months to support state authorities.

WHAT WERE THE OFFICERS DOING?

The municipal officers were working out in a sports facility when, as yet unidentified, subjects shot at them. Five of the officers died in the initial attack, according to the State Peacebuilding and Security Board of Zacatecas.

“Minutes later, the director and deputy director of this same department, upon arrival at the scene of the attack, were also injured. Unfortunately, when they were transported to receive medical care, the director also died, accounting for six dead police officers at this time,” the statement explained. To see the video click here. Filed Under: Police officers killed in armed attack

WHAT DID THE GOVERNOR SAY?

The agency, part of the Zacatecas Public Security Secretariat, asserted that «operational actions are still continuing and the investigation is ongoing,» so, «For the moment that is all the information that can be provided.»

The governor of Zacatecas, David Monreal, offered his condolences on social media for the «cowardly attack» and asserted that he instructed the Peacebuilding Board «to act with efficiency to find the culprits. Those who are at the forefront of the strategy to bring peace to the people of Zacatecas have the full support of the government that I lead. In this, as in all cases of violence that threaten their integrity, we will do what is necessary so that justice prevails.» Filed Under: Police officers killed in armed attack

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ZACATECAS?

Zacatecas is the Mexican state with the highest homicide rate at 109 per 100,000 residents in 2021. It is also one of the six territorial entities in the country on travel alert by the United States Government due to its increase in violence.

Mexico registered 33,315 homicides in 2021 after the two most violent years in its history, under the mandate of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with 34,690 murder victims in 2019 and 34,554 in 2020. The wave of violence has continued for six years no matter which party is in power. Filed Under: Police officers killed in armed attack