8 Dead and 7 Injured in Prison Riot in Colima

"Ivan" for Borderland Beat 

The following is a direct translation of an article written by journalist Juan Carlos Flores for La Jornada newspaper. 

Colima, Col. Eight dead and seven wounded are the result of a riot inside the Social Reinsertion Center (Cereso) of this capital city, an official report said today.

In a statement, the Coordination of Social Communication of the state government reported that the fight was between two rival groups.

The violence broke out "at 9:00 a.m. (Tuesday) in dormitories A and B of the prison; at 9:03 a.m. detonations were heard, after which elements of the state Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) arrived with the support of the State Attorney General's Office (FGE), the National Guard and the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena)," it explained.

At 9:25 a.m. the perimeter was secured, the communiqué continued, and they proceeded to enter and at 10:00 a.m. total control of the Cereso was regained.

"Inside two of the dormitories, seven people were found dead and eight wounded people who were taken to various hospitals; all of them persons deprived of their liberty; one of the wounded died later on.

In the first review, several sharp weapons and a firearm were found in the dormitories.

Elements of the Investigative Police of the FGE arrived to the interior of the Cereso to begin the investigations.

"The state government regrets what happened and the loss of life and sympathizes with the families of the victims; and continues with a punctual follow up of the health situation of the injured persons", states the document.

This is the fifth riot in the last two years, according to information from the Ministry of Public Security (SSP). In May 2020, there were three dead inmates, five wounded and an escape attempt.

As a result of these events, several inmates were transferred to another prison located in the municipality of Manzanillo.

Sources: Juan Carlos Flores for La Jornada