4 killed in Mexico as gunmen shoot down police chopper

By Nancy Caouette

MEXICO CITY (AA) – A helicopter pilot and three police officers were killed when the police chopper they were traveling in was shot down by gunmen in La Huacana, according to authorities.

“An operation aiming to arrest leaders of criminal cells was in course in the region of Apatzingan. The helicopter was patrolling in an area inaccessible by land,” Michoacan state Gov. Silvano Aureoles said via Twitter late Tuesday. He added that another officer was wounded in the attack.

Apatzingan is located 80 kilometers (50 miles) from La Huacana.

Official sources told local media a clash between opposing armed forces and criminal group members erupted at 3 p.m. local time (2000GMT) and a member of the Knights Templar cartel was killed before the helicopter was shot down at 6.05 p.m. (2305GMT).

“We will not step back in the fight against crime. Society should have no doubt that there will be justice and no impunity,” the Michoacan government said on its Twitter account.

The Apatzingan region is known as “hot land” and is one of the most dangerous in Mexico with criminal groups using the territory to produce and transport drugs.

In recent years, civil vigilante groups have resorted to arming themselves to protect their families against organized crime groups.

Eight soldiers and two federal police officers were killed last May when members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel allegedly shot down a military helicopter with a rocket launcher in the neighboring state of Jalisco.