MEXICO CITY, June 26 — Mexico City’s chief of police was shot and injured in an assassination attempt early this morning when gunmen set upon him in an upscale neighbourhood of the capital, killing two of his bodyguards, authorities said.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Twitter that public security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch was “out of danger” following the attack at around 6.30am, which shocked residents of the Lomas de Chapultepec area of the city.
An unspecified number of people had died Sheinbaum added, without giving details. A Mexico City official said two of Garcia’s police escorts were killed in the incident and that the police chief had received three bullet wounds.
Separately, Ernestina Godoy, attorney general of Mexico City, said 12 people had been arrested.
Speaking at a regular government news conference, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attributed the outbreak of violence to the work of local officials to establish order in the city.
Residents said heavy gunfire rang out for several minutes during the attack in Lomas de Chapultepec, which is home to many wealthy residents and the location of ambassadorial residences.
Police converged on the area in the west of the city, which is rarely troubled by the violence that in recent years has afflicted many parts of the country, particularly poorer ones.
Television images showed dozens of police cordoning off a main road in the area. Mexican broadcaster Televisa said at least two police were injured in the incident. — Reuters
