According to a statement released by the Zacatecas state government, five of the officers were shot dead while training at a sports center in Calera de Victor Rosales.

Two more law enforcement officials were shot after arriving at the scene soon afterward, one of whom died, the statement said.

In a statement on Twitter, Zacatecas Governor David Monreal extended his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the victims.

“I express my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the police officers who unfortunately lost their lives today in a cowardly attack in the municipality of Calera,”

He also noted that he had instructed the Peacebuilding Table to act promptly and efficiently to find the perpetrators.

Expreso mi pésame a los familiares, amigos y compañeros de los policías que lamentablemente hoy perdieron la vida en un cobarde ataque en el municipio de Calera. He instruido a la Mesa de Construcción de Paz que actúe con oportunidad y eficiencia para dar con los culpables.

— David Monreal Ávila (@DavidMonrealA) September 28, 2022

More than 340,000 people have been killed in a wave of bloodshed in Mexico since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006. (ILKHA)