As a result of an attack perpetrated by an armed group during a clandestine palenque, 20 people died in the Las Tinajas community of the municipality of Zinapécuaro, Michoacán.
Reports indicate that several gunmen broke into a cockfighting location and shot at attendees.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Michoacán reported that 20 people (17 men and three women) were shot dead at the scene and transferred to the Forensic Medical Service.
The FGE mentioned in its statement, that they are already investigating the number of injured people, who were transferred to hospitals in that region of the entity.
At the moment #FiscaliaMich personnel are traveling to Las Tinajas, municipality of Zinapécuaro, to attend to the report of aggression perpetrated during the celebration of a palenque. pic.twitter.com/Lj0TDdwWlS
— Attorney General’s Office of Michoacán (@FiscaliaMich) March 28, 2022
Reports suggest that the massacre is a reality of scores between antagonistic organized crime groups.
Personnel of this Ministry of Public Security carry out tours in coordination with @SEDENAmx and @GN_MEXICO_ with the aim of capturing those responsible for the violent acts registered in a clandestine Palenque in Zinapécuaro, where there are several injured and deceased. pic.twitter.com/ZelGgA3ZNL
— SSP MICHOACÁN (@SSeguridad_Mich) March 28, 2022
In that area, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is waging a war with La Familia Michoacana for control of the territory.
Read: Homicides rise in Michoacán despite the deployment of elements of the Army and the National Guard
The increase in violence in Michoacán led the state to overtake Guanajuato in February and rank as the entity with the most intentional homicides in the country, according to the most recent report by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP).
Michoacán closed February with 250 murders, 16 more than the 234 it had in January. With this, it exceeded the 231 of Guanajuato, which until now remained in the first place among the entities with this type of crime.
Violence in Michoacan has increased in recent months despite the deployment of federal elements. In coordination with the state government, the federal executive branch sent at least 3,100 uniformed personnel to the state between January and mid-March.
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