Two teenagers were killed in a shooting in the Chulavista neighbourhood of Cuernavaca on Saturday night, according to the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos (UAEM), which said the victims were students at its Preparatoria Número Dos. Local media reported that the youths were attacked by gunfire after leaving a party.
Neighbours alerted police and requested medical assistance after the attack. When authorities arrived, the two teenagers had already died, while another adolescent was found injured. The cause of the killings and the condition of the survivor were not immediately known. The state prosecutor’s office said it would carry out the necessary investigations to establish the motive for the attack.
UAEM issued a statement saying it would provide assistance to the victims’ families and remain in coordination with authorities to provide the information required. The university also called for justice and urged authorities at all levels of government to guarantee students a life free from violence.
“The indignation is no longer enough,” the university said in its statement, adding that the university community “does not want to and must not become accustomed to remaining in mourning”.
The latest killings bring to six the number of UAEM students murdered in the state, according to the source. The four previous victims were women. The cases have included students killed or found dead after disappearing, with some of the incidents occurring close to their schools or homes.
Among the most recent cases was that of Claudia Tacoronte, a 21-year-old Spanish student who had arrived in Morelos to begin an exchange programme. She was killed in September, according to the source.
In June, Michelle Itzayana Fuentes Calderón, a high-school student, disappeared after leaving her home to go to a stationery shop in the municipality of Yautepec. Her body was later found in Tepoztlán, about 10 kilometres from her home.
Two other students, Kimberly Joselín Ramos and Karol Toledo, were killed in separate attacks in March. The last known location of Toledo was reported to have been very close to her school in Cuernavaca.
Authorities have said in each of the cases that the incidents would be investigated. However, some of the victims’ families have complained of receiving little attention from authorities.
The university’s latest statement called for justice for the families of the two teenagers killed on Saturday and urged government authorities at every level to take measures to protect students from violence.
