At least four killed, two injured in shooting near Mexico's presidential residence

Four people lost their lives and two suffered injuries in a shooting that took place near Mexico's National Palace located on Mexico City's main square, the Plaza de la Constitución. According to reports, an armed man entered a building near the place looking to go about his daily affairs but after two people confronted the gunman, he took out a pistol and started firing on people. When the police officials arrived, they came across four people with wounds lying in the courtyard of the building and opened fire at the gunman.

Shooting near Mexico's National Palace

The police said that when the paramedics arrived they found the gunman dead along with two other people and another person died on the way to the hospital. According to reports, more than 100 police officers arrived and blocked access to the street.

The building in which the gunman opened fire, is located in a very narrow street that eventually opens onto an entrance of the National Palace that is frequented by government staffers and employees.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was not in Mexico City when the shooting took place. Obrador became the President in 2018 based on the promise to run a strict government. According to reports, he cut his salary by half and reduced the number of secret service agents protecting him. Obrador went on to convert the Los Pinos presidential residence into a cultural centre and shifted his residence to the very old National Palace.

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Gun battle between drug cartel, police officers

In a previous incident, at least 14 people died after Mexican security forces engaged in an hour-long gun battle with suspected cartel gunmen in a Mexican town near the US border. Ten suspected cartel members and four policemen were killed during the attack. The incident took place days after US President Donald Trump said in a statement that he will designate Mexican drug cartel groups as terrorist organisations giving rise to the tension between the two nations.

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According to the government of the northern state of Coahuila, the clash between the police and the cartel gunmen occurred in the small town of Villa Union, about 65 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the border city of Piedras Negras. Miguel Angel Riquelme, Governor of Coahuila informed the international media that the state police performed its duty and acted ‘decisively’ against the drug cartel gunmen. During the clash between both sides, four police officers lost their lives and six were reported injured. Riquelme further added that the fight went on for approximately 10 hours wherein 10 gunmen were killed and three suffered injuries.

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(With inputs from agencies)