Zacatecas: Commando Attacks & Burns Nightclub; 4 Dead, 6 Wounded

By: Verónica Espinosa | Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat

Zacatecas, Zacatecas— On Wednesday night, an armed group opened fire at employees and clients of a nightclub in the municipality of Guadalupe, who then locked down the establishment and set it on fire.

According to local media reports, there were at least two people dead in the fire.  An official statement from the state government reported a total of four dead and six wounded at around 23:00 hours on Wednesday.

In its digital website, the newspaper, La Jornada, reported that there were nine fatalities in this attack as a result of the fire and the shooting, while another 15 suffered injuries and burns of different degrees with some of them being serious.

The commando entered the nightclub “El Botanero” around 9:00 pm on Wednesday night when there were many customers inside.

According to witnesses who managed to escape, four men with rifles fired at the ceiling, intimidating those who were in the club.

Customers and employees witnessed how the group began dousing gasoline inside the nightclub, and later set it on fire.  The armed group left and closed the doors, preventing people from leaving.

Staff from the Civil Protection came to the rescue and managed to get a number of people who were trapped outside by opening a hole in the wall of the building.

At midnight, forces and emergency relief agencies were on site still extinguishing the fire and treating those injured.

The state government stated in a statement released around midnight that officials like Attorney General Leticia Soto Acosta were at the location, leading an investigation and to care for those wounded.

According to Leticia Soto Acosta’s Twitter page:

The nightclub “El Botanero” had had incidents related to drug dealing

The armed group was after one person, who was among the deceased

Source:Proceso