14 dead in clash between criminal gang and villagers in central Mexico

10/12/2023 7:10

        Fourteen people were killed in a clash Friday between gunmen from a criminal gang and residents of a small farming community in central Mexico, authorities said. Four people were left wounded and two more missing.
        
        Dramatic video of the fight posted on social media showed villagers in cowboy hats with sickles and hunting rifles chasing down suspected gang members amid bursts of automatic gunfire.
        
        Police in the State of Mexico, which abuts Mexico City, said the clash occurred in the hamlet of Texcaltitlan, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of the capital.
        
        State police said 11 of the dead were members of the criminal gang, while three were village residents. Police did not identify the gang, but the violent Familia Michoacana drug cartel has been dominant in that area for a decade.