Mexico investigates deadly attack after soccer match as Sheinbaum faces pressure to curb crime

By Gonzalo Zegarra, Michael Rios, CNN

(CNN) — Gunmen opened fire at a soccer field in Mexico on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 12 in the latest attack to have highlighted the country’s struggles with violent crime.

The attack followed a game at a private soccer field in Salamanca, a city in the violence-plagued state of Guanajuato, which has been the scene of several deadly incidents in recent days.

An armed group arrived after the game and began shooting people, according to Salamanca’s Mayor César Prieto, who described it as a “deplorable and cowardly attack” and a moment of “grave social breakdown.”

It is unclear what prompted the attack. The state attorney general’s office said it is investigating.

Ten people died at the scene and one died while receiving medical attention at a hospital, prosecutors said. A woman and a minor were among the wounded, according to the mayor.

It followed separate attacks around Salamanca on Saturday that left six dead and a thwarted attack on a facility of the state-owned Pemex oil company, where federal authorities deactivated an explosive device, according to the mayor.

“Criminal groups are trying to subdue the authorities, something they will not achieve,” Prieto said, adding that he had requested support from state and federal authorities to “restore peace.”

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said the federal security cabinet was coordinating with state officials and prosecutors to identify those responsible, while Guanajuato’s governor Libia García Muñoz Ledo said security in the region was being reinforced.

“The state attorney general’s office strongly condemns these acts that threaten life and social harmony, and is therefore acting with firmness, responsibility and sensitivity, placing the victims and their families at the center of the investigation and access to justice,” Guanajuato authorities said.

Guanajuato borders Jalisco, where several World Cup soccer matches will be played later this year. It has high levels of organized crime and one of the highest homicide rates per capita in Mexico.

The attack comes amid pressure on Sheinbaum from US President Donald Trump, who has been demanding Mexico step up its operations against criminal groups, particularly drug cartels.

In recent months, many high-impact crimes such as intentional homicide have decreased nationwide, according to official figures. During Sheinbaum’s first year in office, there was a 37% drop in the daily average of intentional homicides, with November registering the lowest number since 2015, according to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.

But violence has intensified in some parts of the country, including the northwestern state of Sinaloa, following the 2024 capture in Texas of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the founding leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. His arrest led to an internal war between rival factions of the powerful criminal organization. To this day, the wave of violence rages on in Sinaloa and other states where the cartel has influence.

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CNN’s Mario González contributed reporting.