Seven-month-old Marcos Colón and his parents were shot in
the Mexican town of Pinotepa Nacional on Friday.
Horrific photos showing the bodies of a seven-month-old boy
and his parents slaughtered in Oaxaca, Mexico, have sparked fierce debate about
the country's rampant gang violence and society's acceptance of it.
The Mexican baby, identified as Marcos Miguel Pano Colón,
was being carried by his 24-year-old father, Juan Alberto Pano Ramos, and
accompanied by his 17-year-old mother, Alba Isabel Colón, when their attackers
opened fire on the trio in the city of Pinotepa Nacional on Friday evening. All
three died on the spot.
They said that Juan and Alba were targeted by the gang for
selling drugs. 'A rival drug gang from [the neighboring state of] Guerrero
located them and had them riddled with bullets,' a prosecutor said.
Police had detained four people on Saturday in connection
with the murders, which were gang-related, officials told CNN. Gonzáles 'El
Isis' Gerónimo, a suspected drug trafficker linked with the slain parents, was
also killed in Oaxaca state the same day.
Gang violence is rife in some areas of Mexico. The
Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, which analyses crime in
the country, says that from 2006-2012, the total number of homicides in the
country could have been as high as 125,000.
Meanwhile, a memorial
was held for the slain family in Pinotepa Nacional on Monday, with hundreds, including
many children, attending to light candles, pray and sing. Images and video of
the ceremony spread online, a counterpoint to the grimness of previous days.
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