5 Dead in Guanajuato Bar Shootout, University Student and Twelve-Year-Old Among the Dead

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

Bar "La Tipica", where the attack took place

On Saturday, 5 people were killed and 21 were wounded after a shootout at a bar in Salamanca, Guanajuato. Authorities confirmed that among the victims were a university student and a twelve-year-old. Witnesses stated that the armed assailants arrived at the bar in two vehicles. They then entered the bar and began shooting at the attendees.

It is not the first time that gunmen attack establishments in Salamanca. In March 2019, a group of hit men entered a nightclub and shot at several attendees. Over a dozen were killed, as reported by Borderland Beat. This nightclub was a few blocks away from the one attacked over the weekend.

These attacks occurred in the midst of a dispute between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (SRLC), who compete for control of Guanajuato.

Shootout details

Preliminary reports stated that the attack originated after two people argued inside the bar and got in a fist fight. One of them reportedly drew his weapon and shot at several of the attendees before fleeing.

However, it was later established by eye-witnesses that the attack originated from outside when a group of approximately 15 gunmen arrived in two vehicles and attacked those inside. The incident occurred at around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday March 14, 2020. The first to arrive were municipal police, who secured the area and then allowed paramedics to enter. 

Leonardo Ortiz (age 12), killed in the crossfire

One of the victims was Jorge Iván Méndez Leyva, a Computer Science student of the University of Guanajuato (UG). He worked at the bar to pay for his studies. The UG condemned the violence in Salamanca and expressed its solidarity to Jorge Iván's family, friends and colleagues. Moreover, twelve-year-old boy Leonardo Ortiz, who was killed at the scene, was not at the bar when the attack occurred. He was caught in the crossfire while he walked with his mother down the street.

Salamanca mayor Beatriz Hernández Cruz pointed out that the 21 injured received treatment in various hospitals in this city. The State Attorney General's Office did not include this information in the official investigation folder because several of the victims went to private health institutions on their own means.

Background and suggested motives

Authorities stated that the attack is part of the violent saga unfolding in Guanajuato between the CJNG and the SRLC, headed by José Antonio Yépez Ortiz ("El Marro"). No official motives have been established, but rumors on social media suggested that the attack was linked to SRLC.

A post uploaded online hours before the attack stated that the SRLC had a list of establishments owned or who they believed supported the CJNG. The post suggested that those establishments were not paying protection money to the SRLC. Multiple bars closed down that evening under fears of a new attack.

One of the victims who died outside of the bar

Mexican journalist Humberto Padgett highlighted the growing homicides in Salamanca as a problem requiring special attention. "Salamanca has 102.5 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth most violent city during 2019. If Salamanca were a country of its own, it would be the most violent in the world", Padgett said in an interview.

Source(s): Milenio; Excelsior; Televisa; Noticias Vespertinas; El Heraldo de Mexico; La Tarde; Salmantino; Radio Formula; Voz de Michoacan