• At least 17 people, including the mayor of a small town in western Mexico, have been killed.
• The left-wing PRD party of Mayor Conrado Mendoza Almeda called his killing “cowardly” Los Tequileros.
• It’s not clear why the attack happened, but it’s not unusual for local officials to be killed.

At least 17 people, including the mayor of a small town in western Mexico, have been killed by gunmen, said, Officials.

Police say that people with guns broke into the town hall of San Miguel Totolapan at 1400 (1900 GMT) on Wednesday. Online photos show that it is full of bullet holes.

The left-wing PRD party of Mayor Conrado Mendoza Almeda called his killing “cowardly” and called for justice.

The Los Tequileros, a criminal group with ties to a powerful drug cartel, has been blamed for the attack.

In the massacre, police officers and council workers were also killed. Images of bloody bodies lying on the ground are being shared on social media.

The former mayor Juan Mendoza Acosta, who was Mr. Mendoza Almeda’s father, was also killed before the attack moved to the town hall. He was killed in his home.

Large vehicles briefly blocked a highway in the state of Guerrero, where San Miguel Totolapan is, so that security forces couldn’t get into the city.

attack was shocking even for Guerrero state, which is known for its violence reports says.

according to the media, different groups fight over the lucrative drug routes that go north along the Pacific corridor. An area is a major place where opium poppies are grown and heroin is made.

Local media saw a preliminary report from Guerrero’s attorney general that said 18 people were killed and 3 others were hurt.

It’s not clear yet why the attack happened, but it’s not unusual for local officials to be killed.

At least 30 mayors, former mayors, and people running for mayor were killed in 2018. In the past few years, the number has gone down to single digits, but those in local offices are still at risk from armed gangs that want to be the only authority in town.

After the attack, the defense ministry said that soldiers and sailors would be sent to the area to find the gunmen.

Governor of Guerrero Evelyn Salgado Pineda wrote on Twitter that she was very sad about the deaths.

Shortly before the attack, what are thought to be members of Los Tequileros posted a video on social media saying that they were coming back to the area where they had been fighting another drug gang.

Between 2015 and 2017, the criminal group destroyed Guerrero and was known for threatening the mayors of the area. The group’s leader, Raybel Jacobo de Almonte, was killed in 2017.

El Tequilero was what people called De Almonte, and his gang took their name from him.

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