20 people killed at a cockfight venue in Michoacan

At least 20 people were killed on Sunday night after an attack at a clandestine cockfighting venue in the municipality of Zinapécuaro, in the Mexican state of Michoacán.

During the attack, 17 men and three women lost their lives and several other people were injured, according to the Michoacán State Attorney General's Office (FGE). The police were sent to the town to investigate the incident.

En estos momentos personal de #FiscaliaMich se desplaza a Las Tinajas, municipio de Zinapécuaro, para atender reporte de agresión perpetrada durante la celebración de un palenque. pic.twitter.com/Lj0TDdwWlS

— Fiscalía General de Michoacán (@FiscaliaMich) March 28, 2022

More than 100 shell casings were found at the site, and 15 vehicles were seized, according to the news outlet Animal Político.

Mexican press reports indicate that an armed group broke into the venue where the clandestine cockfights took place and shot at the attendees. Witnesses say that several people were injured in the attack and were taken to hospitals in the region.

The Michoacan Public Security Secretariat informed that its personnel are carrying out patrols in coordination with the Army and the National Guard to locate and capture those responsible for the tragic event.

Personal de esta Secretaría de Seguridad Pública realiza recorridos en coordinación con @SEDENAmx y @GN_MEXICO_ con el objetivo de capturar a los responsables de los hechos violentos registrados en un Palenque clandestino en Zinapécuaro, donde hay varios heridos y fallecidos. pic.twitter.com/ZelGgA3ZNL

— SSP MICHOACÁN (@SSeguridad_Mich) March 28, 2022

Following the events, users on social media reported gunshots in the vicinity of Zinapécuaro, according to local media cited by Aristegui Noticias.

🚨🚔 Así se escuchan las balaceras esta noche en las inmediaciones del municipio de Zinapécuaro, tras la masacre en palenque clandestino, que ha dejado esta noche al menos 19 muertos y varios lesionados en la localidad de Las Tinajas.#REDMichoacán pic.twitter.com/ZRSbxk0NGK

— RedMichoacán (@RED_Michoacan) March 28, 2022

On Monday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the attack may have been due to a confrontation between two rival groups, possibly criminals. However, he did not reveal their names.

"It was a massacre of one group against another in a clandestine cockfight and they shot the attendees. Unfortunately [there were] many dead," he said at a press conference.

The federal administration sent a special team to initiate the corresponding investigations and guard the area, the president added.

Zinapécuaro is the site of clashes between the Jalisco New Generation and La Familia Michoacana cartels, which are fighting for control of the territory. Despite the deployment of federal elements, Michoacán saw 250 murders in February alone, 16 more than in January, making it the state with the highest number of intentional homicides in the country, according to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.