16 killed at a Mexican resort town
At least 16 people were killed in a shootout involving an armed, non-governing police group in Xolapa, a town just outside of Acapulco, a popular resort destination, according to Fox News Latino.
The shootout took place around 5:45pm on Saturday, the Guerrero State Attorney General's office said.
(06/06/15)Familiar reacciona velando a víctimas de un enfrentamiento en #Xolapa#Guerrero#MX(Xinhua/Javier Verdin)rh pic.twitter.com/txt22hThkQ
— China Xinhua Español (@XHespanol) June 7, 2015
Members of the United Front for Security and Development in Guerrero State or FUSDEG, were involved. They battled a vigilante group previously aligned with them, known as the Union of Towns and Organizations of Guerrero (UPOEG).
Both groups are self-formed community police. The practice of forming community police groups is legal under Mexican law in predominantly indigenous communities.
Via Fox News Latino
"Critics of these groups call them vigilantes who perpetuate a criminal atmosphere, but many local residents defend them as the only true security force in regions that are remote and riddled with corruption at the state and municipal government level. "
The two groups "apparently have an ongoing dispute over territory in the Acapulco-Chilpancingo corridor."
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