Morelos police chief shot dead in Mexico violence
Violence in the central Mexican town of Zacatepec, Morelos has escalated resulting in the shooting of the town's police chief.
Three gunmen, who have yet to be identified, shot Juan Manuel Zamudio after his car was ambushed when he was travelling alone through the state, BBC News reports.
Although it is not known who is behind the shooting, police have said that it is most likely to be the result of organised crime.
In a separate incident this week, seven alleged hitmen were shot down by officials in Morelos.
Following the shootout, the gunmen – who were said to be on motorcycles – opened fire on Mr Zamudio.
The police chief was taken to a nearby hospital, but later died from his injuries.
Latest figures from the Mexican government showed that 47,000 people had died as a result of drug-related violence since 2006. Additionally, killings were up by 11 per cent in the first nine months of last year in comparison to the same period of 2010.
