Mexico: hitmen kill six people in an attack in a Morelia bar

A group of alleged hitmen shot and killed six men and wounded two more in an attack perpetrated in a central bar in the city of Morelia, capital of the western state Mexican of Michoacán, according to the authorities reported this Monday.

The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Michoacan confirmed that the attack occurred at 04:30 local time (09:30 GMT) on Monday at the bar called Cantina 25, located on Enrique Ramírez avenue, close to the exclusive residential and commercial area called Las Américas.

From the first investigations it appears that It was several men armed with assault rifles who stormed violently and shot directly at a group of diners.

After the fact, the alleged hitmen fled aboard at least two vehicles, which are searched with the video surveillance system operated by the Ministry of Public Security of Michoacán (SSP).

Three men died immediately in the attack, while five more were taken in ambulances and private vehicles to various Morelia hospitals, where three of the victims died while receiving medical attention.

The FGE specified that, so far, the six victims are unknown, so the bodies were sent to the Forensic Medical Service.

One of the lines of investigation followed by the State Attorney’s Office presumes revenge between drug cartels as the motive for the multiple crime.

On Michoacan The Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Los Caballeros Templarios and La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartels operate, which are fighting with blood and fire for the control of illicit activities such as kidnapping, extortion and other crimes.

Agents of the National Guard, the State and Municipal Police, as well as the Mexican Army, have deployed a series of operations in Morelia, in search of the armed group.

Mexico has recorded the two most violent years in its history in the first part of the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador with 34,681 murder victims in 2019 and 34,557 in 2020.

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