Gunmen kill 12 people in Mexico bar attack
MEXICO CITY Gunmen attacked a crowded bar in the border city of Tapachula, killing 12 people and wounding three others as they drank, danced and partied on Monday night.
Police said the men had been drinking inside the club and were later robbed, then attacked by gunmen outside. Mexican army troops, police and National Guard members arrived and killed the gunmen but were still hunting for the attackers.
The bar owner said the attackers were drunk and wearing surgical masks and were armed with rifles. He said the attack began with gunshots.
They tried to rob us but we ran out, he said. Some of the guys just wanted to get rid of the guns.
He said the dead were mostly men, and those in the hospital were also mostly men. He said most of the bars patrons were Hispanic or Mexican.
The shooting occurred on a street lined with bars that also house prostitutes and transsexuals to attract a clientele. It took place during a weekend in which Mexico has seen a series of attacks by increasingly powerful organized crime groups, which are often known by their initials in Spanish, MS-13.
MS-13 took credit for the massacre, calling its self-styled affiliate a force of self-defense, and saying they were only protecting themselves. That group was also behind the killing of three Americans, two in the border city of San Diego five months ago last week and the other in Los Angeles three days ago.
The MS-13 group has also been called by some authorities the most brutal gang in America, with members known for gruesome tortures, killings and rape of women.
The victims
The three dead Americans were:
Nicholas Sosa, 24, the son of a wealthy businessman, was killed in a shooting outside his Los Angeles hotel.
Jose Gabriel Garcia, 22, from Texas, was killed in a shooting outside his U