Four gunmen opened fire on a party on early Friday in northern Mexico, killing six partygoers and wounding 26 others. Two of the deceased persons were under 18 years old, and five of the wounded were children.
The killings took place in the city of Ciudad Obregon in the border state of Sonora and prosecutors said that it was aimed towards a suspected cartel member who was wanted in homicide and other charges. The suspected cartel member tried to flee but was killed by the perpetrators.
A fourth gunman who participated in the shooting was already present at the party. All of the attackers managed to escape. Four of the wounded were reported to be in critical condition at local hospitals, while 13 others were treated and released.
Sonora has been the scene of bloody turf battles between various drug gangs. Several social gatherings have been targeted across Mexico in the brutal drug war, which has killed tens and thousands of people since 2006.
On December 17, at least 16 people were killed and several others injured after the gunmen attacked a Christmas season party early on Sunday in the town of Salvatierra in Mexico's north-central state of Guanajuato. In another incident, four other people died in a shooting in the city of Salamanca. State prosecutors did not describe the circumstances of the attack.
Before that, on December 9, a violent clash between gunmen from a criminal gang and residents of a small farming community broke out in central Mexico, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 people.
The police said that the clash occurred in the hamlet of Texcaltitlan, about 130 kilometers southwest of the capital Mexico City. Dramatic visuals of the fight emerged on social media showing villagers in cowboy hats with sickles and hunting rifles chasing down suspected gang members amid gunfire, apparently tired of being extorted.
(with inputs from AP)
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