Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Mexico deploys 300 National Guard troopers to area where 13 police officers were killed in an ambush

Mexican police investigators work at the scene of slain police officers in El Papayo, Coyuca de Benitez municipality, Guerrero state, Mexico, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Bernardino Hernandez) Mexican police investigators work at the scene of slain police officers in El Papayo, Coyuca de Benitez municipality, Guerrero state, Mexico, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Bernardino Hernandez)
Share
MEXICO CITY -

The Mexican government sent 300 National Guard troopers to bolster the southern state of Guerrero on Tuesday, where a local police chief and 12 officers were shot dead in a brutal ambush the day before.

It was just one of three attacks Monday in an increasingly violent region of the country.

Announcing the reinforcements in his morning news conference, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador mourned the victims and called the attack "practically an ambush."

Guerrero's attorney general launched an investigation Monday after the 13 bodies were found on a highway in El Papayo, which is in the Guerrero township of Coyuca de Benitez on the Pacific coast. Two more people were injured in the attack.

Some bodies were found handcuffed, face down on the ground, according to local reports, which could suggest the attackers ambushed and captured the police officers before killing them.

Authorities did not provide any more details about the attack or those responsible.

At least six more people were killed Monday in two other attacks in Mexico's southwest, a region where escalating gang conflicts are pushing a surge of violence.

Earlier this year, two police officers and three civilians were killed in an attack attributed to the Familia Michoacana cartel. Then in August, a leader of the rival Arreola gang was assassinated. Since then people in the region have complained increasingly about little official security against gangs.

According to figures from Common Cause, 341 police officers have been killed in Mexico so far this year. In 2022, at least 403 were slain.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.