At least 11 people were killed Friday in Texcaltitlán, a city in central Mexico, in a violent clash between people and criminals trying to extort money from them, local authorities said.
14 deaths have been registered, of which 11 appear to belong to a criminal group and three are local residents. Mexico City’s Secretariat of State said in a statement, adding that four were injured, shot and two other people were missing.
According to the Mexican press, the criminals were members of the criminal group La Familia Michoacana, who went to an agricultural village in Texcaltitlan to extort money from residents. The villagers organized to find and confront them.
A video broadcast by several local media shows the moment before the confrontation, when about fifty residents gathered on a sports field and shouted at a dozen people armed with firearms.
In fact, I’m still affected by the shooting of #Texcaltitlan But listening to the anger and heart of the people in these videos is only for our reflection as a community. pic.twitter.com/OewADt4tBN
– ℮ ɱ&ɱ”s ☠️ (@JecorBeat) December 9, 2023
Suddenly shots rang out, some people fell and people charged at the criminals with sticks and knives.
Since the launch of a controversial military anti-drug offensive in 2006, the country’s murder rate has tripled to 25 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Mexico has recorded more than 420,000 murders since the start of the military offensive.
Source: DN
