Cartel revenge killing leaves 17 mourners dead

Mexico's Undersecretary of Public Security, Ricardo Mejia Berdeja, reported on Tuesday that revenge may have been the motive behind an armed attack that killed at least 17 people attending a wake in the town of San Jose de Gracia, Michoacan over the weekend.

Referencing the rivalry between groups linked to Jalisco Cartel - New Generation (CJNG,) the undersecretary explained that:

"The motive that we have identified is revenge between groups linked to organized crime... That is to say, differences between the heads of two groups, namely Alejandro, alias 'Pelón', and Abel, the 'Viejón', both from San José de Gracia.”

According to Mejia Berdeja, Abel allegedly murdered one of Alejandro's brothers. Later, upon his release from prison in 2021, 'Pelón' avenged his brother by ordering the death of José 'N', who was also the brother of 'Viejón.’

"On the day of the wake, Alejandro arrived at the funeral (of his mother) with approximately 15 bodyguards. Upon their arrival, the family questioned his presence because they know about the threats he had made,” the undersecretary added.  

Mejía further indicated that it is still not possible to confirm the exact number of deaths after the events because "there are no bodies.” He also said that there have been "some anonymous reports of possible places" where the remains of the victims could be found.

A video circulating on social media, allegedly recorded prior to the attack, shows five vehicles parked in front of a house and several armed men pointing weapons at a group of people standing against a wall with their hands held high. Subsequently, shots could be heard before the video cut out.

On Monday, reports circulated that alleged members of organized crime had cleaned up the crime scene before federal and Michoacan state authorities arrived in the area.

The municipality of San Jose de Gracia is located in the border area between Michoacan and the state of Jalisco. The region has been hit by violence generated by rivalry between various local criminal groups, mainly linked to or feuding with the CJNG.