6 dead in pair of nightclub shootings on Mexico’s Gulf coast

VERACRUZ, Mexico – A total of six men were killed early Sunday in shootings at two nightclubs in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, authorities said.

The state prosecutor’s office said three gunmen opened fire from the deejay’s booth at four men sitting at a table in the La Madame club, killing them all. About a dozen people were wounded in that attack in the Veracruz state capital of Xalapa.

In the other incident, two men died in a gunfight with law enforcement officers at a club in the Veracruz city of Orizaba, prosecutors said.

One of the dead was identified as organized crime figure Luis Alberto Carrera Rodriguez, alias “El Negro,” or “Blackie.” The prosecutor’s office did not say what gang he belonged to.

Veracruz has been the scene of bloody killings by the Zetas drug cartel as well as the Jalisco New Generation cartel. The state has also seen numerous disappearances and killings of journalists.