Six People Were Killed Outside a Carwash in Guerrero

 "MX" for Borderland Beat

State officials arriving at the crime scene shortly after the attack

At least six people were killed by gunfire yesterday afternoon at a carwash facility in Iguala, Guerrero. Armed individuals arrived at the area and opened fire at these individuals. State authorities located five corpses just outside of the establishment, while the sixth victim was located on De Rueda Street, two blocks from the attack. 

The six victims were transferred to the facilities of the Forensic Medical Service as unknown persons. Authorities have not provided information on those allegedly responsible for the attack by press time. The carwash is located across the street from a house where a young man was killed last Monday. 

Local media reports stated that the attack was masterminded by Moises Brito Bautista ('Bandame'), a high-ranking boss of La Bandera, the newly adopted name of the Guerreros Unidos gang. They blamed his sicario Pablo Sandoval Carreto ('La Novia') for physically carrying out the attack.

Local gangs that operate in the area include La Bandera and Los Tlacos. The latter is based in the municipality of Heliodor Castillo and both groups currently dispute Iguala, Cocula, Tepecoacuilco, Huitzuco, and other municipalities in northern Guerrero. Their territorial dispute has left dozens of deaths in recent years. 

One of the victims, displayed in the top left picture, was killed by gunmen a few blocks from the carwash

Investigators said it was not clear why the hitmen attacked the carwash workers. In the past, cartels have attacked carwash workers who they believed were working as street spies for rival gangs. In addition, carwashes have sometimes been used as drug sale spots, known is colloquially known in Mexico as puntos.

In 2010, Borderland Beat reported about an incident where cartel members killed 15 people at a carwash in Tepic, Nayarit. Several of the workers there were recovering drug addicts and investigators say the hitmen may have targeted them for their perceived organized crime ties. 

Sources: Guerrero Noticias; La Jornada; Milenio; Sur de Acapulco; La Silla Rota