At least 10 people were killed, including a 12-year-old child, and seven others were wounded when a gunfight erupted at Sunday night’s cockfight in Cuajinicuilapa, a senior state police official told AFP.
The cause of the gun battle was not immediately known but it broke out between two groups of armed men following an argument at the center of town, the official said.
The wounded were taken to a general hospital, “while some of the dead were taken away by their relatives minutes before security forces arrived,” the official said.
Apart from the minor, the victims were between 26 and 50 years old and included a woman.
Cuajinicuilapa, which lies near the state of Oaxaca, is famous for its mixture of cultures derived from descendants of African slaves.
The area is not known for the type of violence that has plagued other parts of Guerrero, such as the Pacific resort of Acapulco or mountain regions of the interior beset by drug cartel turf wars.
Acapulco has become Mexico’s murder capital, with the violence leaving four dead and three wounded after an amateur football game on the outskirts of the city on Sunday, municipal police said.
The attack took place in broad daylight after the game had ended and the players were relaxing on the small pitch.
Relatives of the victims removed the bodies before the authorities arrived, police said.
Authorities found bullet casings matching the caliber of AR-15 assault rifles as well as shotguns and handguns.