A gunman opened fire in multiple locations across Michoacán, injuring twelve people and leaving eight dead before police shot him after a confrontation on Tuesday.
Authorities from the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) stated that the violence began at 4:35 PM local time at a car repair shop on Amapola Street in the Miguel Hidalgo neighborhood of Jacona, on the western edge of the state. In this initial incident, the assailant killed two people inside the workshop and then briefly left the scene to shoot at two pedestrians on the street, killing one and wounding the other. He later hijacked a red Nissan Tiida and fled toward the neighboring municipality of Zamora.
The assailant continued his rampage by arriving at Virrey de Mendoza Street, about seven kilometers from the first attack, in the El Duero district of Zamora. There, a worker at a car parts company was killed, and two people — a man and a woman — were injured near the shop. Shortly afterward, the gunman went to a nearby flower shop and killed another employee. He then visited a local cattle feed store, where two men were killed and another man and a woman were injured. Early reports indicated twelve injuries in total, though officials continued to verify the final count.
Michoacán Police and a special operations unit tracked the suspect to the cattle feed warehouse zone. A confrontation ensued, and the attacker was shot by officers as he left the site in the stolen vehicle. The individual’s identity and the motives behind the massacre remained unclear at the time of the incident, with the FGE promising continued investigations into the sequence of events and the possible links to organized crime.
Zamora has long been recognized for elevated violence within Michoacán, a state that has recorded more than 1,300 firearm-related murders in recent years. Cartel activity in the region includes groups such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM), and Los Caballeros Templarios, all contending for control over drug production, trafficking networks, and markets for marijuana and methamphetamines. Experts and officials emphasize that this pattern of violence is tied to broader criminal enterprise in parts of western Michoacán and neighboring states, with law enforcement agencies renewing commitments to public safety and crime prevention in affected communities.
The investigation continues as authorities work to confirm the identities of those killed and injured and to determine the precise motivations behind the coordinated attack. Local residents have been urged to remain vigilant while officials review security footage, interview witnesses, and coordinate with federal agencies to better understand whether the violence reflects ongoing cartel conflict or a broader breakdown in public order in the region.