Cartel Gunmen Storm Mexican Hospital to Finish-Off Rival

Cartel gunmen in western Mexico stormed a hospital to execute a man who survived an earlier shooting.

The incident occurred Thursday in Morelia, Michoacán, at Hospital Acueducto. According to witnesses who spoke to local reporters, at least two gunmen entered the building at 7am and found the victim on the third floor. A gunman pulled a firearm from his waistband and shot the patient execution-style in the presence of doctors and support personnel. They then fled without further violence.

Jesús Cancino, 45, survived gunshot wounds during an earlier attack in Querétaro. Police believe the gunmen belong to a rival gang. Local media initially reported the victim was Jesús Cancino Téllez aka “El Apá Michoacano” or “El Chuy Cancino,” a high-ranking member of La Familia Michoacána. Representatives of the state attorney general’s office later disputed the claim and said the similar names were coincidental.

Jesús Cancino Téllez survived an ambush on September 4 in Querétaro while traveling in a white pickup truck with a driver who died during the attack, according to local reports at the time. Cancino Téllez was supposedly targeted by assassins of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). Cancino Téllez was reportedly transported to a local hospital in Querétaro under heavy guard. La Familia Michoacána are involved in a bitter turf war with the CJNG.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce completed work assignments in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year tour in Monterrey, Mexico, for the U.S. Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program. As the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico in charge of the Mexican states of, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas) You can follow him on Twitter or reach him at robertrarce@gmail.com.