Puebla Shooting Kills 10 as Mexico Faces World Cup Security Scrutiny

The government of Mexico’s Puebla state has confirmed that 10 people were killed in an early-morning shooting in Tehuitzingo, adding another violent incident to a tense national backdrop just weeks before Mexico co-hosts the FIFA World Cup.

State officials said on Sunday that the victims were six men, three women and a minor. Their names were not released.

According to the Puebla government, the victims “were allegedly attacked by armed individuals” at a residence. No arrests had been announced by mid-morning, and authorities have not identified a motive.

The state Attorney General’s Office said it had opened an investigation into the attack.

“According to initial reports, municipal police officers went to the property after receiving a request for assistance from a citizen who observed people apparently without vital signs,” the office said.

“Upon arriving at the residence, authorities located several people with gunshot wounds. A woman died en route while being transported for medical attention.”

Tehuitzingo is a small city of about 11,300 people, located roughly 208 kilometres, or 130 miles, south of Mexico City. Local media reported that the shooting took place at about 1:55am local time, after neighbours heard gunfire.

Officials said the response will involve the National Guard, the state Attorney General’s Office, state and local police, and “intelligence, analysis and inter-institutional coordination efforts”.

The attack comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Mexico. The country is preparing to co-host the World Cup with the United States and Canada, with the opening match scheduled for June 11 in Mexico City between Mexico and South Africa.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has promised a major security push around the tournament, including the deployment of 100,000 security personnel made up of National Guard troops, police officers and private security staff.

Mexico is due to host 13 matches across three cities: Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. But recent violence has kept public safety in sharp focus.

In April, a gunman killed a Canadian tourist and injured 13 others at Teotihuacan, the UNESCO-listed archaeological site near Mexico City. In February, the country saw a surge in violence after Mexican forces killed cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The violence has also sharpened tensions with Washington. US President Donald Trump has suggested his administration could take unilateral action against cartels on Mexican soil, despite Sheinbaum warning that any such move would violate Mexico’s sovereignty.

“The Mexican cartels are fuelling and orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere, and the United States government will do whatever’s necessary to defend our national security,” Trump said in March.

Mexico recorded a 19.8 percent decline in homicides in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to Insight Crime. Still, critics argue that the figure does not fully capture the scale of insecurity, given the country’s high number of disappearances.