Statistics from Zacatecas: 4 People Killed a Day; Over 50 Percent of Shootouts in Fresnillo Municipality

“MX” and “El Zacatecas” for Borderland Beat

2021 is positioned to become the deadliest year in the history of Zacatecas. In only four and a half months, 399 Zacatecans have been killed. That is four a day.

The fight between members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel has left a bloodbath across the state. Many of those killed are innocent civilians who are unable and/or refuse to pay extortion fees from these two cartels.

In just 132 days this year, 520 Zacatecas residents have been shot by a firearm. 399 of them have died and 121 were permanently injured.

In January, 126 people were shot, of which only 22 survived and 104 are dead. By February, 134 more were shot, of which 103 are dead and 31 survived. In March, the wave of violence decreased a bit since only 106 people were shot, of which 87 are dead and 19 survived.

The calmest month to date was April, with 100 shots by firearm were record of which 69 died and 31 ended up injured. Finally, in the month of May, which has not yet concluded, over 54 people have been shot. 34 of them were killed and 18 survived.

For now, the month with the most deaths was February, since in 28 days it registered 103 deaths by firearm, almost four Zacatecans were murdered a day.

The deadliest municipalities 

The municipality that registered the most armed attacks was Fresnillo with 263. Fesnillo registered 50.5% of the total armed events in the state; while the capital of Zacatecas (Zacatecas Municipality) took second place with 80, which represents 15.3% of the total.

Guadalupe Municipality is in third place with a total of 68 people injured by firearms, that is, 13 percent. The 22% missing is in various municipalities such as Calera, Vetagrande, Jerez and Valparaíso, among others, where more recent armed events have been registered.

Terrifying figures

2021 has exceeded the figures of last year so far. Last year, 80 people were killed by end of May. But this year the figures have already surpassed 100.

Among those shot dead are taxi drivers, merchants, car dealership owners, and even people who were at home, where the criminals entered by force and shot them.

All these attacks left 399 dead and 121 wounded. Out of the 520 that were shot by a firearm projectile, 8 out of 10 people end up dead.

The figures are alarming because there are 233 days left in 2021.

Sources: Imagen Zacatecas