6 killed, including 2 children, in southern Mexico attack

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Six people have been killed by armed men in a rural community on the outskirts of Acapulco, authorities in the Mexican state of Guerrero said Saturday.

State security spokesman Roberto Alvarez Heredia said the victims in San Pedro Cacahuatepec included three women, a 4-month-old baby and a 17-year-old boy. Three children were also wounded when the shooters opened fire Friday on their humble homes. It appeared the victims were part of a single family.

It is an area where the federal government wants to build a dam, but the territory is disputed between two community defence groups. The vigilante-style police groups armed themselves in 2013 and 2014 to fight drug cartels.

Bruno Placido, leader of one of the groups, said Saturday that his group had nothing to do with the incident. He said he would co-operate with authorities in their investigation but that it appeared to be a case of organized crime extorting a family and taking revenge when they didn’t get paid.

“We responded to the criminals’ aggression, but we didn’t have anything to do with any type of massacre,” Placido said.