Originally published on September 9, 2013
Gunmen shot dead at least 11 people and injured 15 more in a series of attacks on bars in a town in San Jose Nacahuil, about 23 km north of the capital of Guatemala.
Local media reports that three or four gunmen opened fire with 9 mm weapons on people who were drinking beer and liquor inside local bars and street of the community. Eight of the dead were reportedly shot in a newly opened cantina while the majority of the wounded were shot in the street between the first and the second cantina owned by the same local businessman. Two of the passersby were killed in the street, along with another man shot dead in the second cantina.
It was reported that the gunmen have fled the scene in a stolen vehicle which was later found dumped outside the town.
The motive of the shootings is not clear. It was reported that police believe the bar owner who was killed by the gunmen, was the target of the attacks. Guatemala officials blame the attacks on gunmen linked to local street gangs while locals believe that the murders were carried out by professionals. Some reports suggest that the gunmen had been expelled from the liquor store shortly before the attack, then they are said to have returned wearing masks, to shoot randomly at people inside the bar and at a nearby street.
According to Reuters, "Mexico's bloody drug war has seen cartel violence spill over into Guatemala. The country's notorious criminal gangs have long collaborated with Mexican gangs, but during the past few years foreign cartels have begun to move in more permanently, extorting businesses, corrupting locals and devastating local infrastructure with relative immunity.
"According to United Nations statistics, with 39 homicides per 100,000 people today - nearly eight times the rate in the United States - Guatemala is one of the world's most murderous countries."
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