In the early morning of Sunday, March 26, three young men were executed while traveling in a private vehicle in the downtown area of the municipality of Maltrata, located in the High Mountains region of Veracruz.
The events occurred on the corner of Hidalgo Avenue and Nicolás Bravo Street, block three of the first part of the city, which borders the Veracruz municipalities of Acultzingo, Ixhuatlancillo, Nogales, and Aquila, as well as areas of the state of Puebla.
According to police reports, the armed men drove in another car a few blocks from the Municipal Palace, intercepted the young men, and shot them several times before fleeing.
The locals called the 911 emergency number to inform the police about three lifeless people: two were lying on the street, and one more was inside a white Nissan-Tiida vehicle.
The site was cordoned off by the police to preserve the crime scene and guarantee the chain of custody protocol while waiting for the ministerial elements to begin the corresponding procedures.
The Regional Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation for the search and location of the alleged perpetrators of this crime, who have not been arrested so far.
The three bodies were taken to the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo) for identification.
125 INTENTIONAL HOMICIDES REPORTED
During the first two months of the year, 125 intentional homicides were reported in Veracruz, according to figures from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP).
The Crime Incidence Report 2023 reveals that there were 78 cases in January and 47 in February, of which 70 were committed with a firearm, 14 with a knife, and 41 with another element.
While in 2022, there were 854 reports of intentional homicides in the state of Veracruz, of which 513 were committed with a firearm, 105 with a knife, and 236 with another weapon.