Tabasco Bar Shooting Leaves Up to Seven Dead

A shooting at the bar La Casita Azul in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, left between five and seven people dead and seven injured on January 4, 2024. The attack is part of a troubling trend of violence in the area, with the state experiencing a surge in homicides, including a prior incident in November where six people were killed. Authorities have launched a manhunt for the unidentified gunmen, utilizing video surveillance and coordinated patrols. This violence is part of a larger pattern of bar attacks across Mexico, associated with drug-related crime, which has claimed over 450,000 lives since 2006. President Claudia Sheinbaum faces significant challenges in addressing this violence, opting for social policies over military intervention as a strategy to tackle crime. The state of Tabasco, known for its oil facilities, has been particularly affected by this recent spike in violent crime.