A series of violent incidents in Guerrero and Michoacan states, Mexico, resulted in the deaths of at least 19 people on Monday. In Guerrero state, a local security secretary and 12 police officers were shot dead in the township of Coyuca de Benítez. Additionally, another person was slain in the state capital of Chilpancingo. In Michoacan, five people, including a police officer, were fatally shot and two others were injured in an attack in the township of Tacambaro.
The attack in Coyuca de Benítez initially claimed the lives of 11 people, but the state prosecutor’s office later confirmed that two more police officers had died. Among the victims was the security secretary of Coyuca de Benítez, according to Gabriel Hernández Mendoza, the state deputy prosecutor for investigations. No further details were provided.
In Chilpancingo, Rigoberto Acosta González, an academic and community leader, was reported shot to death. The incident occurred approximately 60 miles northeast of Coyuca de Benitez.
Michoacan, despite the deployment of over 2,000 National Guard troops and military personnel last month, remains one of the deadliest states in Mexico. Various criminal groups, including the Jalisco New Generation cartel, the Familia Michoacana, the Viagras, and the Knights Templar, are known to operate in the region.
The bodies of the five slain individuals in Michoacan were discovered on a highway in Tacambaro after an attack targeting the mayor’s brother. It is unclear if the mayor’s brother was among the wounded. A video circulating on social media showed heavy gunfire during the incident, followed by armed men boarding a pickup truck.
The escalating violence in the region poses a significant threat to officials, with 341 police officers killed in Mexico so far this year, according to figures from Common Cause. In 2022, at least 403 officers were slain.
