What was supposed to be a vibrant Sunday afternoon of local sports in Salamanca ended in a nightmare as a brutal mass shooting claimed the lives of 11 people. Just as a neighborhood football match concluded, unidentified gunmen stormed the field and opened fire indiscriminately on the gathered crowd. The sudden eruption of violence left 10 dead on the grass, while an eleventh victim passed away shortly after reaching the hospital. Among the 12 others currently fighting for their lives are women and children, leaving the central Mexican community paralyzed by grief and fear.
Mayor César Prieto has categorized this bloodbath as a direct symptom of the “crime wave” that has gripped the city. In an urgent plea for help, he called upon President Claudia Sheinbaum to deploy federal forces, admitting that local resources are no longer enough to stabilize the region. The state of Guanajuato, where Salamanca is located, has unfortunately become the nation’s most dangerous battlefield. It is the epicenter of a ruthless territory war between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
While the federal government recently pointed to statistics showing a drop in the national homicide rate—citing a low of 17.5 per 100,000 residents—this latest massacre serves as a grim reality check. For the people of Guanajuato, these numbers mean little when public spaces like football pitches become targets for cartel executioners. This incident highlights the immense struggle facing the Mexican administration as it tries to reclaim public safety from the iron grip of organized crime.