19 killed in Mexico cockfighting pit shooting in Mexico

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Local authorities in the Mexican state of Michoacan are investigating a shooting carried out on Sunday night, during which at least 19 people were killed.

According to the state's prosecutor's office, at around 10.30 local time, a paramilitary commando opened fire at an illegal cockfighting pit in the small city of Zinapecuaro, Michoacan.

After a call was placed alerting the authorities, Mexico's Forensic and Crime Scene Services found 16 men and three women killed at the scene.

The armed forces and the National Guard have deployed elements throughout the state, with no responsible identified or apprehended at the moment.

Michoacan is currently undergoing a wave of violence related to organized crime and drug cartels. In 2021, the state reported 2,732 homicides, around 8% out of the 33,315 homicides reported in Mexico.

Although government figures present a steady decline in homicides in the country, with the last nine months showing a constant reduction of 14.4% in intentional homicides, Michoacan seems to elude the Mexican government's security strategy.

In the first two months of 2022, Michoacan reported 480 homicides averaging a rate of eight killed every 24 hours. The state also holds 4 out of the 50 municipalities considered the most violent in the entire country.

Michoacan has become the deadliest one out of Mexico’s 32 states, regardless of the presence of the army and the National Guard, who have deployed 3,100 elements to curb the increasing violence in the entity.

However, the violence has only increased, with February showing an increase of 22.3% compared to the same period in last year.

The victims in Michoacan have been journalists such as Armando Linares, who was killed after condemning the murder of his journalist colleague and politicians such as the major of Aguililla, Cesar Arturo Valencia Caballero, who was shot on March 10.

On Feb. 27, a massacre of the same nature also happened in Michoacan when an armed commando fired at a funeral ceremony, killing at least 17 people.