Mexican Criminal Syndicates Kill 12 Police Outside Acapulco in Targeted Ambush

At least a dozen police officers have been killed alongside a local security supervisor during an ambush by gunmen connected to crime syndicates in a small town in the Guerrero State of Mexico, Mary Beth Sheridan reports for the New York Times. The attack, which occurred in the village of El Papayo, 30 miles northwest of Acapulco, initially targeted Alfredo Alonso López, head of public security in the surrounding municipality of Coyuca de Benitez. When the gunmen opened fire, López called in police reinforcements, including the municipal police chief, who were killed with him. Violence has been surging in Guerrero state as roughly 16 crime syndicates active their fight over territory, with the Familia Michoacana, which is said to have ties to local politicians, chief among them.