Two men were killed and two others injured in the crossfire during a shoot-out that occurred in the early hours of Friday, February 20 at the Palenque cockfighting arena that was operating temporarily in conjunction with Chapala’s Carnaval celebrations.
Chapala police were dispatched to the Palenque facility located in the northeast corner of Cristiania Park around 2 a.m. after receiving a report that two individuals were at the Cruz Roja clinic undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds and other shooting victims were still at the arena. 
Arriving at the scene, officers discovered the dead body of José de Jesús Ruvalcaba Mora, 44, and mortally wounded Carlos Alberto Hernández Almaraz, 39, who succumbed a short time later at the Cruz Roja. The crowd of spectators on hand for the night’s final contest had dispersed by the time police arrived.
The nightly cockfights were scheduled from February 12 through 23, under a federal permit issued by the Secretariat of the Interior’s Gaming and Lottery division in the name of Humberto Herrera Flores.
Local authorities identified Herrera as a resident of Tototlán, who, as required by law, had previously obtained consent from the municipal government to run the traditional blood sport that is notorious for attracting high-rolling gamblers. He was responsible for hiring private security guards to watch over the events.
While the homicide and assault cases remain under investigation, officials from the district attorney’s office and police department theorize that the bloody crimes may have been perpetrated either by thieves out to steal the night’s hefty betting booty or a disgruntled gambler seeking revenge for the loss of a substantial wager.