MEXICO CITY, March 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nine people, including three women, were shot dead early Wednesday morning at a private residence in Atlixco, a town in central Mexico’s Puebla state, state authorities confirmed.
One survivor was “in critical condition,” with shots to the head, leg and shoulder, the Puebla Attorney General’s Office said.
“Everything points to the fact that this was an inter-gang execution,” Puebla Governor Miguel Barbosa said at a press conference.
According to preliminary investigations, the house where the victims were attacked was “a drug distribution and sales location,” he said.
The victims have yet to be identified, but “apparently, they were not from Atlixco or Puebla,” Barbosa said.
The governor said via social media that federal, regional and local authorities launched a joint operation following the attack.
According to the National Public Security System, Mexico registered a total of 33,308 homicides in 2021. Puebla recorded 809 homicides in the same period.
Gang-related violence in the country has come under intense public scrutiny after multiple shootings in Mexico involving organized crime and drug cartels have become more prominant in the country.
At least 17 people were shot dead at a funeral last month in Michoacan state, with the assailants reported to be members of organized crime groups.
According to the latest figures from Puebla’s government, 64 homicides were registered in the state in January 2022. — NNN-AGENCIES
