In one 24-hour period there were 27 people assassinated in seven states, among them five members of a family in Michoacán and three more in Oaxaca.

In the latter case, musician Víctor Sánchez López was tortured and then decapitated in front of his wife and children in Juchitán.

Seven of the victims were in Veracruz, where a journalist was one. Crime reporter Pedro Tamayo was gunned down and killed outside his home in Tierra Blanca, where he had been under police protection due to threats against his life.

His death brought a statement from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which expressed “deep regret” for Tamayo’s murder and called on authorities for an immediate and full investigation.

There were five people killed in Guerrero, three of those in Acapulco and two in Chilapa.

Only one of the 27 murders was in Nuevo León, but the state’s record between January and June is not a good one. Homicides are up 45% over the same period last year with 330 cases reported, an increase that is well over the national average.
ADVERTISEMENT

Not among the 27 who died Wednesday were the nine killed in two separate incidents Monday in the Oaxaca tourist destination of Puerto Escondido.

Gunmen entered a home in the city center and killed eight people, two of whom were described as shark fishermen, triggering speculation they were involved in something more than just fishing when at sea.

In the other incident a 52-year-old woman was killed while jogging.

Country-wide there were 9,413 homicides in the first six months, up from 8,156 last year, according to figures compiled by the National Public Security System.

Source: Reforma (sp), El Universal (sp), Sin Embargo (sp)
- Read