Mexico: May 24, the most violent day of the year with 118 intentional homicides

Mexico registered 118 intentional homicides on Tuesday, May 24, the highest number during 2022 and the second highest in the six-year term of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, according to El Universal.

The daily report of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) revealed that on that specific day, crimes were committed in 25 states in the country.

Guanajuato was the most violent state, with 19 deaths, followed by the State of Mexico with 11. Chihuahua, Morelos, Nuevo León, and Sonora, all had seven homicides each. Finally, Mexico City, as well as Jalisco and Michoacán, registered six deaths.

Overall, the month of May saw four days with 100 or more murders per day. On May 1, for example, 112 homicides were registered, while on May 15, there were 105 deaths. On May 22, there were 107, according to official data cited by the aforementioned media.

So far this month, there have been 1,980 victims of intentional homicide, with an average of 82 per day, according to the daily count carried out by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP).

López Obrador claimed on Tuesday that his government will end up delivering "good results" in terms of public security.

"I believe that we are going to end the term with good results in the area of security and the fight against violence because we are making progress," said the president at a press conference.

According to the monthly security report presented by the Mexican government, there has been a decrease in crimes such as intentional homicide, kidnapping, femicide, robbery, and other federal crimes, reported El Financiero.

Between January and April 2022, Mexico had 9,895 intentional homicides, which reflects a reduction in this crime of 12.86% compared to the same four-month period in 2021, according to SESNSP data.

March was the most violent month of the first four months of 2022, with 2,241 intentional homicides, an average of 72.3 per day, according to official figures cited by Zeta.

So far, the most violent day with the highest number of murders was reported on December 1, 2019, when 127 intentional homicides were counted. On that day, López Obrador completed his first year as president of Mexico.