Shooting in central Mexico leaves 11 dead
Guanajuato, Mexico, May 24 (EFE).- Eleven people died after gunmen opened fire inside a hotel and neighboring bar in the central Mexican city of Celaya, Guanajuato state authorities said Tuesday.
Ten people were pronounced dead at the scene after midnight Monday and another victim died en route to the hospital.
The attackers left behind a “calling card” with the initials of the Guanajuato-based Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima, whose chief rival, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, is one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations.
For the last years, the Santa Rosa and Jalisco outfits have been battling for control of the illegal drug trade, protection rackets, and theft of fuel from pipelines.
The No. 2 official in the state, Government Secretary Libia Garcia, condemned the killings and pledged assistance to the victims’ families.
State authorities are “working closely” with federal agencies “to find those responsible and deliver justice,” she said on social media.
Since 2018, Guanajuato, which ranks sixth among Mexico’s 31 states in population, has consistently been near the top of the list when it comes to murders.
The federal government released figures Monday showing that Guanajuato had 993 homicides during the first four months of this year, the second-highest total.
While last year, Guanajuato accounted for more than 10 percent of the 33,308 murders nationwide. The state government says than nine in every 10 killings are attributable to organized crime. EFE fv/dr
