Five Policemen Killed in Ecatepec Ambush Ahead of Key State of Mexico Vote Lizbeth Diaz - Reuters
go to original May 30, 2017

Police tape that reads in Spanish "Caution" marks off a crime scene (Associated Press)

Five Mexican police officers were shot dead on Tuesday in an ambush in the State of Mexico, where elections at the weekend will serve as an early referendum on the ruling party ahead of a 2018 presidential vote.

The police officers were responding to a call in Ecatepec, a sprawling suburb of Mexico City, early on Tuesday morning when unknown assailants opened fire on them, said an official in the state prosecutor's office who was not authorized to speak publicly.’

The Ecatepec mayor's office said in a statement three police officers died at the scene, while two more died of their injuries. All five of the slain officers were men.

Ecatepec is among Mexico's most dangerous urban areas, with various local gangs fighting over drug, prostitution and extortion rackets.

Sunday's gubernatorial election in the State of Mexico could bring an end to almost nine decades of rule by President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico's most populous region, where 16 million people live.

Losing the state would put a big dent in the PRI's hopes of retaining the presidency next year.

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