Gunmen opened fire at a soccer field in central Mexico on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 12, authorities said
Salamanca Mayor Cesar Prieto said in a statement posted to social platforms that the gunmen arrived at the end of a soccer match.
Ten people at the scene and one died later at a hospital. The mayor said a woman and a minor were among the wounded.
Prieto said the attack was part of a "crime wave" in the city and appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum for help to control the violence.
The Guanajuato state prosecutor's office said it was investigating and coordinating with federal authorities to reinforce security in the area.
Guanajuato had Mexico's highest homicide total last year. A local gang, Santa Rosa de Lima, has been battling the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
"Unfortunately, there are criminal groups trying to subjugate authorities, something they are not going to achieve," the mayor said.
Overall, Mexico's government says the country's 2025 murder rate was the lowest since 2016 at 17.5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, although analysts cautioned that the numbers may not fully reflect the country's violence.
César Prieto, the mayor of the town of Salamanca in central Guanajuato state, said in a statement posted to social media platforms that the gunmen arrived at the end of a match.
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The mayor said the attack was part of a “crime wave” in the city and appealed to the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, for help to control the violence.
Guanajuato state recorded the highest number of homicides in Mexico last year. A local gang, Santa Rosa de Lima, has been battling the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
“Unfortunately, there are criminal groups trying to subjugate authorities, something they are not going to achieve,” the mayor said.
Mexico’s government says the murder rate in 2025 was the lowest since 2016 at 17.5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, though analysts say the numbers may not fully reflect the scale of the violence in the country.
Salamanca is also home to one of seven refineries operated in Mexico by the state oil company Pemex, with fuel theft responsible for one of Mexico’s largest criminal economies.
“This incident adds to a wave of violence that we are sadly experiencing in the state, and particularly in Salamanca,” Prieto said. “Unfortunately, criminal groups are trying to subjugate the authorities, which they will not achieve.”
Guanajuato borders Jalisco, the capital of which, Guadalajara, is one of the host cities in this year’s World Cup.
The Guanajuato governor, Libia Dennise, called the attack “unacceptable” in a statement on social media and said security in the state had been reinforced, without providing details.
Asked at her regular press conference for information about the attack on Monday morning, President Sheinbaum deferred to the state attorney general’s office, which said it was coordinating efforts with municipal, state and federal authorities to strengthen security in the area, protect people and find the perpetrators.
“Those responsible will be found,” Prieto added in his Facebook remarks.
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