Another shootout in bar in Mexico: 5 dead and 7 wounded as organised crime-linked violence continues

A shooting at a bar in southeastern Mexico killed five people and injured seven others, authorities said Sunday (January 5), marking the latest in a string of violent attacks across the country.

The attack occurred Saturday (January 4) night in Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco state, the secretariat of security and civilian protection said in a statement. Authorities have launched a manhunt for the gunmen.

“Five people lost their lives and seven were injured,” the statement said. Officials are reviewing surveillance footage and coordinating state and federal patrols to locate the attackers, it added.

Local media reported that unidentified gunmen stormed the bar, known as La Casita Azul, and opened fire on customers, leaving bodies scattered on the floor.

Spate of violence in Tabasco

Tabasco, home to oil production facilities, has experienced a rise in violent crime in recent months.

Between January and October of of 2024 there were 715 murders in Tabasco, compared to 253 in all of 2023, according to official statistics.

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Bars across Mexico have been the site of multiple deaths after that time, too.

In November, six people were killed and 10 injured in another bar attack in Villahermosa.

“Armed persons” entered the bar “looking for a specific person” and the shots hit those nearby, state deputy prosecutor Gilberto Melquiades had said at a press conference back then.

Two weeks before the November incident, a shooting at a bar in the central city of Queretaro– a region of central Mexico– left 10 dead. The same weekend, six more people were killed in a bar shooting in a suburb of Mexico City.

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Since 2006, when the Mexican government deployed the military to combat drug cartels, more than 450,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence, according to official figures.

Organised crime continues to be a headache for the civilian populationa dn the authorities in the country.

With inputs from agencies