In a shocking incident early Monday morning, gunmen unleashed a hail of bullets on a gathering of parishioners in the central square of San Bartolo de Berrios, leaving seven youths dead and casting a pall over the community festivity. Eyewitness accounts describe the attack as indiscriminate, with assailants arriving in vehicles and firing dozens of rounds into the crowd.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the assault may be linked to the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, inferred through threatening messages discovered nearby. The Episcopal Conference of Mexico condemned the violence and called for urgent attention to the escalating brutality facing communities across the nation. Local Archbishop Jaime Calderón echoed concerns about territorial disputes between rival criminal factions, mainly the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), both operating in the region.
Guanajuato stands out as one of the deadliest states in Mexico, recording a staggering 2,597 murders in 2024 alone. Experts note that while attacks on nightclubs and bars are frequent due to criminal rivalries, assaults at religious gatherings are especially alarming, indicating a disturbing trend of targeted violence against civic spaces.
The gang's tactics typically include instilling fear within local populations to ensure silence and compliance, and incidents like this underscore their ruthless efforts to assert control. As residents recounted hearing nearly 100 shots in rapid succession, they expressed their horror at the sight of the aftermath, which they described as resembling a "bloodbath."
Despite the gravity of the situation, no arrests have been made as of yet. The tragic loss of these young lives has left the small community grappling with grief and uncertainty amidst the ongoing struggle against cartel violence.
