The sinister wave of criminal violence that has rocked Lake Chapala’s south shore over the past several months hit an ominous crest with the June 12 assassination of José Antonio Languren Martìnez, commissar of the Tizapán el Alto police department.
The police chief was gunned down in an ambush perpetrated by armed men aboard a convoy of three pickup trucks, while he and two other municipal security officers were traveling along the Guadalajara-Sahuayo highway in the stretch between Palo Alto and Tuxcueca.
Languren’s second in command, José Luis Manzano, and police bodyguard Israel Hernàndez were also shot in the bloody confrontation that occurred at around 2:30 p.m. Manzano is reportedly recovering from his injuries, while Hernández remains hospitalized in serious condition.
The Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office (FGE) reported that the hitmen armed with AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles were seen escaping the scene headed in the direction of the Michoacán border.