A group of armed men stormed into a drug rehab facility in the city of Culiacán, Mexico, at around 2:00 in the morning on April 7, and rounded up the 20 or so individuals living there.

The director of the center, which is located on a quiet residential street near a scenic overlook and a Catholic church, tried to reason with them. “We are people of God,” he pleaded. It did not matter. The attackers opened fire, executing eight of those present and injuring another who later died at a nearby hospital.

One of the survivors said that many more would have been killed had the weapons used by the assailants not jammed. They eventually fled and forced the director out with them. Local authorities found his body the following day, dumped in another neighborhood on the south side of Culiacán.

The New Rules of Engagement in Sinaloa’s Latest Crime Wars | Written by Parker Asmann and Victoria Dittmar, and read by Daniel Reyes.

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