Four people were shot dead and a fifth was wounded Saturday night near a market in Valle de la Trinidad, a rural community in the Ensenada municipality of Baja California.
The attack took place at the intersection of Peña Blanca and Calzada de las Águilas, close to Los Reyes market. Authorities responded to emergency calls at approximately 9:55 p.m. on March 29.
What Happened at the Scene
Details about the victims, their identities, and the suspected motive have not been released. The number of attackers and the type of weapons used also remain unclear. One person survived with injuries, though their condition has not been disclosed.
State and local law enforcement responded to the scene. No arrests have been announced in connection with the shooting.
Valle de la Trinidad: A Remote Agricultural Town
Valle de la Trinidad is a small agricultural community located roughly 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) southeast of Ensenada’s city center. It sits along the road that connects Ensenada to San Felipe, a route used by tourists and residents traveling between the Pacific coast and the Sea of Cortez. The town is not a typical tourist destination, but travelers heading to San Felipe or the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir national park often pass through it.
The area is sparsely populated and far from Ensenada’s main urban zone, the cruise port, and the Guadalupe Valley wine region that attract most foreign visitors.
Violence in the Ensenada Municipality
The Ensenada municipality, the largest by land area in all of Mexico, has experienced periodic episodes of serious violence linked to organized crime. In May 2023, a mass shooting during an off-road vehicle rally in the San Vicente area killed 10 people and wounded at least nine others. Baja California as a whole has recorded some of the highest homicide rates in Mexico for several years, driven largely by turf battles between rival criminal organizations.
Saturday’s attack adds to ongoing security concerns in rural areas of the municipality, where law enforcement presence is thinner than in the city itself.
This story was first reported by Zeta Tijuana.