Four police officers were killed in shooting in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, local authorities said on Thursday, the latest casualties in one of the country’s most violent areas.
The attack took place on Wednesday evening, as the officers were driving through the town of Celaya.
According to local media, two people presumed to be civilians were also killed in the incident, but this toll was not confirmed by the authorities.
“On Wednesday evening, four members of the municipal police headquarters died after being attacked by armed men on the highway that runs from Celaya to Salvatierra,” the municipal security secretary said in a statement.
Following the shooting, the state police and National Guard launched an operation to find the suspects.
Guanajuato is one of the most violent states in Mexico, due in large part to the presence and activity of criminal gangs — including a pair of drug cartels feuding over trafficking routes.
More than 3,000 homicides were recorded there in 2023.
According to the NGO Cause en Comun (Common Cause), Guanajuato was the state with the highest number of police murders in 2023, with 60 killed.
On December 17, gunmen opened fire at a Christmas party attended by young Mexicans in Guanajuato, killing 11 people.
On December 4, five medical students were found dead in Celaya.
Since December 2006, when the federal government launched a controversial military offensive against drugs, more than 420,000 people have been murdered in a spiral of drug-related violence since 2006, according to official figures.