6 dead in new wave of violence in western Mexico

MEXICO CITY

A clash between alleged gunmen of criminal and vigilant groups in Aquila left at least six dead and four wounded, the attorney general of Michoacan state said Tuesday afternoon.

Four of the dead were members of a criminal organization while the other two were involved in the rural force of the state, according to Michoacan authorities.

Local media said the vigilant group recently deployed 2,000 members to the area in an attempt to capture and hand over to authorities the members of the Cabelleros Templarios, or Knights Templars, drug cartel.

The western state of Michoacan is considered one of the most violent states in Mexico.

The new violence comes just days after 42 alleged members of the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel and one police officer died in Tanhuato, also in Michoacan.

According to the official version, the 42 gunmen died during a shootout with police officers.

But relatives of the victims said several corpses were disfigured and unrecognizable. Some also said they do not believe their relatives died in shootout, but were executed.

Local media published several photo Saturday that suggested arms may have been placed next to the bodies after the shootout and security experts questioned why only three suspects surrendered and why none were found injured.

Federal authorities, however, denied the accusations of extrajudicial executions, insisting forensic tests showed all 42 suspects had used their weapons before they were killed.

According to officials, police were forced to shoot only after the suspects refused to surrender.

The National Human Rights Commission of Mexico decided Tuesday to open an investigation into the case to determine whether police acted inappropriately.

Last January, a clash between federal police forces and alleged armed civilians killed at least nine people in Apatzingan, Michoacan.

An investigation by local media supported witnesses claims that the civilians were unarmed and were executed.

Last June, eight soldiers were charged with the murders of 22 civilians in the state of Mexico after federal officials first claimed that the civilians refused to surrender.