Members of the Indigenous Police, the Civil Guard, and the Mexican Army stand guard at the access point to the community of Sevina in the Purepecha region of Michoacan, Mexico, on May 27, 2026. On May 17, an armed squad attacked and killed two community police officers at one of the access points in the area. (Photo by ENRIQUE CASTRO / AFP)
Five Mexican police officers were shot dead and five others wounded on June 10 in violence-hit Michoacan state on the eve of the World Cup opener in Mexico City, local authorities said.
The officers were attacked by unknown assailants in an Indigenous region of the western state, which is plagued by cartel violence, the state government reported.
The pickup truck they were traveling in was riddled with bullet holes, according to images obtained by AFP.
The attack took place in the municipality of Nahuatzen, a region inhabited by the Purepecha people where the powerful Jalisco New Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates.
In May, the brazen murder of a small-city mayor, allegedly by the CJNG, prompted angry protests targeting symbols of the state, which many residents accused of failing to combat spiraling violence.
Michoacan’s capital Morelia is situated around 300 kilometers from both Mexico City and fellow World Cup host city Guadalajara.
The state’s security department said police were searching for the perpetrators of June 10’s attack.
Mexico’s government insists that there is no security threat to visiting World Cup fans.
Mexico is cohosting the tournament with Canada and the United States.
