October 31, 2017 - 11:55 AM
MEXICO CITY - Mexican authorities say 12 people have died in the central state of Puebla in a string of shootings being investigated as possible score-settling by rival gangs of fuel thieves.
The state prosecutor's office reports Tuesday that three men and a woman were slain at a hospital in the state capital. Another man was shot dead while driving in the suburb of Chachapa. And two more were killed while riding in a pickup truck in the municipality of Amozoc de Mota, which contains Chachapa.
In a separate statement late Monday, Puebla prosecutors said gunmen in an SUV shot dead five people who were drinking on a lot around midday in Tlaltenango.
Fuel pipeline theft is a growing problem in Mexico, with regular shootings between gangs and sometimes police or soldiers.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017