Armed Attack In Huitzilac Leaves Eight Dead And Sets Off Alarm Bells In Morelos

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat

Criminals shot at the customers of a beer warehouse from two cars, a situation that was recorded on video. This is the third attack in the area in less than two weeks.

An armed attack at a beer warehouse in Huitzilac, Morelos, left eight people dead on Saturday, according to local media. A video of the attack, apparently recovered from a security camera, shows how several people arrive in two vehicles at the warehouse and immediately shoot indiscriminately at the customers. It is the third armed attack in the municipality in less than two weeks. Neighboring the capital, Morelos has become one of the most violent states in Mexico.

The images are terrible, literally and symbolically. The mere fact that a group of criminals arrived at a beer warehouse on a Saturday night to shoot at customers speaks of the prevailing insecurity in the state. Also of impunity. But the case actually transcends state borders: Mexican society has seen similar videos dozens of times in recent years, in different parts of the country. It is a Mexican war of everyone against everyone – between criminal groups, criminals, and authorities, etc.- that has been going on for almost 20 years and is increasingly being transmitted live on social networks.

The Morelos Prosecutor’s Office reported on the case this Sunday, in a brief statement, stating that it is investigating the attack. “Personnel [from the agency] went to a commercial establishment with the company name “Depósito Huitzilac”, located on Benito Juárez Street in the La Purísima neighborhood, where the bodies of four men were located, with injuries caused by gunshots. And it was learned that four more men were transferred to hospitals in the municipality of Cuernavaca,” the statement reads. Those four died hours later.

The Prosecutor’s Office indicates that several of the dead are from Huitzilac and one more from the nearby town of Tepoztlán, one of the most important tourist destinations in the north of Morelos. The attack is surprising, in view of the two that have already been registered in the same area in recent days. On May 1, criminals murdered three people in Tres Marías, part of Huitzilac, an important gastronomic corridor, a mandatory stop for many travelers coming and going from Mexico City to Cuernavaca, Chilpancingo and Acapulco.

Days later, on May 10, gunmen shot three other people in Tres Marías, two who were in a car, next to the restaurant area, and one more, who was hanging out in one of the establishments. Between both attacks, criminals killed a woman who was traveling in her truck, also near Huitzilac. And while all this was happening, in nearby Cuernavaca, criminals entered a hospital and murdered a patient… This year, murders have increased in Morelos, as have other high-impact crimes, such as kidnappings.

The municipal president of Huitizlac, Rafael Vargas, has published a video on social networks referring to the attack. “It is a regrettable night for our municipality. The city council condemns all acts of violence. We demand all the support from the federation and the State to reduce the rates of violence. And to the Prosecutor’s Office, the prompt clarification of the facts, to find those responsible. The City Council is willing to collaborate. The violence must stop. We will denounce all types of defamation and comments that seek to harm our people for political purposes. The support of the federal and state governments is urgent,” he said.

Informa GDL  El País