Shootout in Mexico’s Sinaloa State Kills 19; Local Cartel Leader Arrested

Policemen stand guard in the area where heavily armed gunmen waged an all-out battle against Mexican security forces in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, on Oct. 18, 2019. Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images

MEXICO CITY—A shootout near the capital of Mexico’s Sinaloa state killed 19 suspected gang members, while one local cartel leader was arrested, Mexico’s defense ministry said on Oct. 22, as intra-cartel violence intensifies.

The deadly altercation on Oct. 21 took place about seven miles outside the Sinaloa capital of Culiacan, when a group of more than 30 gunmen fired on soldiers, according to a statement from the ministry. It added that some of the suspected cartel gunmen fled the scene after federal agents returned fire.