by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
MEXICO CITY (Worthy News) – Mexico was mourning Monday after gunmen opened fire at a soccer field in the central city of Salamanca, killing at least 11 people and wounding a dozen others in the latest mass attack linked to organized crime violence.
Authorities said the shooting erupted late Sunday as a local match ended, when armed men arrived and began firing on spectators and players. Ten people died at the scene and one more succumbed to injuries at a hospital, Salamanca Mayor Cesar Prieto said.
A woman and a minor were among the wounded, the mayor added, as families gathered in grief and officials faced renewed pressure to restore security.
The Guanajuato state prosecutor’s office said it was investigating and coordinating with federal authorities to reinforce security in the area.
Prieto described the assault as part of a growing “crime wave” and appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum for additional support to control violence in the city.
GUANAJUATO EPICENTER OF CARTEL TURF WAR
Guanajuato has recorded Mexico’s highest homicide totals in recent years, driven largely by a violent turf war between the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The rivalry has turned parts of the state into one of the country’s deadliest battlegrounds, with frequent attacks on civilians, police, and public venues.
Security forces increased patrols around Salamanca, an industrial hub that is also home to a major Pemex oil refinery, officials said.
Mayor Prieto warned that criminal groups were seeking to intimidate authorities, but vowed they would fail.
“Unfortunately, there are criminal groups trying to subjugate authorities — something they are not going to achieve,” he said.
NATIONAL VIOLENCE REMAINS A MAJOR CHALLENGE
Mexico’s government says the country’s 2025 murder rate fell to its lowest level since 2016, at about 17.5 killings per 100,000 inhabitants.
However, analysts caution that official figures may not fully capture the scale of violence in cartel-dominated regions such as Guanajuato, where communities continue to face deadly insecurity.
Investigations were continuing Monday as authorities sought those responsible and residents demanded justice for the victims of one of the deadliest recent attacks in the state.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A Ukrainian man was detained Wednesday in Croatia over the 2022 undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, authorities said, a development that raised questions over Ukraine’s role in the attack against key infrastructure of European allies.
A new U.S. Census Bureau analysis has identified more than 24,000 people who voted in the 2020 general election as noncitizens at the time they cast their ballots, prompting President Donald Trump to renew his call for stricter election-integrity laws.
The Trump administration has cleared the final judicial obstacle blocking its campaign to terminate Temporary Protected Status for migrants from a series of countries, potentially ending deportation protections for roughly one million people, according to The Washington Times.
Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day was overshadowed by grief as the death toll from the weekend’s massive earthquake rose to at least 68 and thousands were still awaiting aid on the hard-hit Indonesian island of Flores.
Ukraine faced another night of potentially deadly strikes as it struggled to defend itself after Russia and Ukraine traded some of their most intense aerial attacks of the war, with at least 10 civilians reported killed in northeastern Ukraine and hundreds of Ukrainian drones targeting Russia.
Nuclear material has been discovered in Syria and placed under International Atomic Energy Agency oversight, reviving attention on a clandestine nuclear program that Israel destroyed nearly two decades ago.
The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in on a growing national battle over whether states may require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public-school classrooms, potentially setting the stage for a major First Amendment ruling.