Mexican Drug Cartel Thugs Gatecrashes Wake To Shoot 17 People To Death

A video circulating online depicts an alleged group of armed people who appeared at a wake and started a fire, killing at least 17 people in Mexico's Michoacan state.

"It's not Ukraine; it's San Jose de Gracia Michoacán," a netizen said in a Spanish tweet (quote translated to English).

A bystander documented the horrifying scene on camera in an adjacent house.

The witness saw how the armed individuals who arrived in various white vehicles were waiting for the right opportunity to open fire on a group of people gathered against a wall.

Other witnesses heard a series of shots from large-caliber guns around 00:32 in the community of San José de Gracia, which is located between Michoacán and Jalisco's borders.

According to the New York Daily News, the shooting took place just a few meters from the wake. However, it is unclear whose funeral rites were taking place.

Authorities are currently conducting numerous investigations in the area, so the actual number of casualties is anticipated to be disclosed soon, according to MVS Noticias.

Meanwhile, agents from the National Guard, Michoacán Police, and the Mexican Army have begun a hunt for the alleged assassins. However, no positive results have yet been obtained.

Several drug cartels are competing for control of the area in the Municipality of Marcos Castellanos. The cartels La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, and Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) are all fighting for control of the state of Jalisco.

"This Sunday, an armed attack on civilians in the town of San José de Gracia, state and federal security forces carried out patrols on highways, gaps and surrounding towns," the state agency said in a statement obtained by news outlet 24 Horas, to avoid more acts of violence.

Reports added that the latest atrocity occurred just two weeks after gunmen killed nine people, including a 12-year-old kid, in two attacks in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, lamenting the death of a man who died in jail.

Officials told the people to report any criminal activity and submit information on the occurrence in San José de Gracia, leading to the arrest of the alleged perpetrators.