Mexico ( Shootings Leave 2 Dead, 3 Wounded in Northeast Mexico )

MEXICO CITY – Two people were killed and three others, including two children, wounded in three shootings in the cities of Madero and Tampico, both located in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, prosecutors said Thursday.

The first shootout occurred on Wednesday in downtown Ciudad Madero, where gunmen murdered an unidentified man, the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

Gunmen shot a 44-year-old taxi driver in Tampico, the AG’s office said, adding that two students from a nearby school were wounded by stray shots.

The three victims were transported to a hospital, where they are listed in serious condition and expected to undergo surgery, the AG’s office said.

An unidentified man, estimated to be between 25 and 30, was murdered by gunmen.

The federal government said last month it was deploying more security forces units in Tamaulipas and planned to purge law enforcement agencies in an effort to stop the surge in drug-related violence in the northeastern state.

The Gulf and Los Zetas drug cartels have been fighting for control of Tamaulipas and smuggling routes into the United States for years.

The federal government deployed security forces units in January in the western state of Michoacan and in April in Mexico state, which surrounds the Federal District and forms part of the Mexico City metropolitan area, to deal with drug-related violence.