Gunmen open fire in a bar in central Mexico killing 10 and injuring 13

November 10, 2024 GMT

HUEHUETOCA, Mexico (AP) — Gunmen opened fire in a bar in central Mexico killing 10 people and injuring 13, local authorities said Sunday.

The attack took place Saturday in the historic city center of Querétaro in a region that had long been spared the violence seen in neighboring states like Guerrero. In recent years, however, the state of Querétaro has been marked by a handful of violent incidents, raising concern by authorities.

Juan Luis Ferrusca Ortiz, the city’s head of public security, confirmed the attack and the number of victims. He said at least one person was arrested following the attack.

Ferrusca Ortiz said officials identified those responsible by tracking the license plates on the car the armed men fled in, which was later abandoned and set on fire.

Two videos from the bar’s security cameras, disseminated on social networks, show a group of four walking into the bar and shooting indiscriminately at people eating at several tables. The video shows the screaming people throwing themselves on the floor and trying to seek refuge, stained with the blood of the people shot.

Two of the 13 wounded were reported to be gravely injured.

Hours after the attack, Querétaro’s Gov. Mauricio Kuri vowed to bring the assailants to justice, and said he was working to provide aid for the families of those killed.

“There will be punishment for those responsible for this brutal act,” Kuri wrote on the social media platform X early Sunday.