Gunmen kill 1 in ambush of Mexican vigilantes

Associated Press

PAROTILLAS, Mexico (AP) — A self-defense force commander in the southern state of Guerrero says gunmen ambushed his group as they were patrolling a rural road, killing one.

Marco Antonio Suastegui who leads a vigilante group in the town of Parotillas, in the municipality of Acapulco, says about 40 group members in three pickup trucks and an SUV were checking on a report about a band of thieves when gunmen opened fire Friday with automatic rifles.

Suastegui says one vigilante died and two more were injured.

Hundreds of men and women in Guerrero state have taken up arms to defend their villages.