DNNPOST:26/01/2026: Gunmen opened fire at a football pitch in the central Mexican city of Salamanca, killing at least 11 people and wounding about a dozen others, authorities said Sunday.
Witnesses said several armed men arrived in multiple vehicles and began shooting at people gathered at the Cabañas pitch in the Loma de Flores neighborhood. Many families had remained at the site to socialize after a local match. Among the dead were at least one woman and one child, according to local officials.
Neighbors reported hearing dozens of gunshots during the attack. Local and federal security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation. No arrests were immediately announced, and authorities said the motive was not yet known.
The shooting followed a series of violent incidents in Salamanca a day earlier in which five men were killed and another was abducted, officials said.
Salamanca is in Guanajuato state, which recorded the highest number of homicides in Mexico last year. The region has been plagued by violence linked to organized crime, including fuel theft, drug trafficking and extortion.
The city is home to a major refinery operated by state-run oil company Pemex and has been a frequent target of gang-related attacks. Analysts have attributed much of the violence in the area to rivalry between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima.
President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government has pledged to reinforce security in Guanajuato amid rising public concern over persistent violence.
