Intense clashes involving rival organized crime gunmen and the National Guard resulted in a preliminary toll of five dead assailants and reports of other gunmen being abducted in the municipality of Jerez, Zacatecas.
The confrontation took place around 6:00 PM in the southern part of the municipal seat, extending toward the road leading to the municipality of Tepetongo.
According to the state’s Secretary General of Government, Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza, the skirmish began between rival gunmen, leaving one gunman dead at the initial scene. Subsequently, four gunmen attempted to flee in a vehicle along the highway.
National Guard personnel intercepted the moving vehicle; after coming under fire from the suspects, the agents returned fire and killed all four occupants.
The incident mobilized members of the Zacatecas Immediate Reaction Force (FRIZ)—part of the Secretariat of Public Security—along with the National Guard, the Mexican Army, and the Municipal Police, supported by a Black Hawk helicopter. Law enforcement deployment focused on the area between the San Francisco and Los Sauces neighborhoods, as well as the community of Ermita de los Correa.
This violent event occurred one day after a video circulated on social media—attributed to a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)—announcing an armed incursion into municipalities in the region, including Jerez.
Agencies belonging to the State Peacebuilding Board are maintaining intensive patrols in the area to secure the perimeter and locate those responsible.
