On a Thursday afternoon in Veracruz, Mexico, a high-tension incident unfolded in the eastern state that left one police officer dead, another wounded, and three suspects in custody, while panic ripple through local residents. The violence was centered in the Paso del Toro area of the Medellín de Bravo municipality, a coastal region where clashes between security forces and an armed group have become a troubling pattern in recent years.
Authorities from the Ministry Police and the State Police reported that a gunfight erupted between their officers and an organized group near a roadway, following an earlier operation at a residence linked to the same criminal network. During that preliminary action, a hostage was removed from danger but it appears the hostage-taker’s group retaliated, resulting in more gunfire and chaos in the neighborhood.
The firefight lasted several minutes along a major state highway, provoking fear among bystanders who captured footage on mobile devices and shared it across social media networks. The episode culminated in the death of a Ministry Police officer who died at the scene, while another officer was transported to a nearby medical facility and reported to be in stable condition after treatment for injuries. Three suspects were detained by joint teams from the Ministry Police and the State Public Security Secretariat.
Veracruz has faced escalating violence since December 2022, including deadly attacks tied to political figures and organized crime groups. Notably, the attack on the family of Fernando Pérez Vega, also known as El Pino, who was a former mayoral candidate in Coxquihui affiliated with the Fuerza por México party, resulted in multiple fatalities. Official statistics suggest that 2022 saw 854 homicides in Veracruz, with 513 of those killings carried out with firearms and 105 with knives, underscoring a troubling trend in violent crime indicators for the state.
According to the National Public Safety System Enforcement Secretariat, Veracruz ranked seventh nationwide in total crime incidents through December 2022, with 86,155 reported offenses. In December alone, the state registered 6,720 crimes. The highest concentrations of crime remained in the neighboring regions, with the State of Mexico, Mexico City, and Guanajuato occupying the top three positions in overall crime counts, signaling persistent security challenges across central and southern Mexico.