Shocking Display Of Gun Violence In Mexico

The shocking photo below shows how the bodies of seven men (aged 15-40 years old) who were found dead and seated in plastic chairs in Uruapan, Mexico.  All the victims had suffered fatal gunshot wounds, with threat messages nailed to some of their chests using ice picks. 

The seven bodies had bullet wounds to their heads and bodies and had been placed individually in the sitting position in chairs near a busy roundabout.  A placard on one of the bodies said: ‘Warning! This will happen to thieves, kidnappers, sex offenders and extortionists.’ The local attorney general's office did not provide a motive.

The incident came on the heels of another mass killing in neighboring Guerrero state, where armed men opened fire in a hotel bar in Altamirano City.  In that shootout, four civilians and three off-duty federal agents died.  The off-duty officers had been pursued by gunmen while walking to a local bank, and were killed after seeking refuge in the hotel, according to reports.

Both states on Mexico's western coast have seen a rise of violence in recent years attributed to drug cartels. Around 70,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico in seven years.  President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office in December, has vowed to quell the lawlessness and killing that have stained Mexico's image as a tourist destination and rattled investors.