Five More Youths Slain in Medellin
BOGOTA, Colombia — Unidentified assailants dragged five youths from their homes and shot them to death Wednesday in western Medellin, police said.
It was the latest in a string of massacres often attributed to gangs backed by the city’s powerful cocaine cartel. The slayings occurred hours after gunmen killed nine teen-agers who were playing soccer Tuesday at a Medellin recreation center.
Two teen-age boys were killed Monday when gunmen burst into their high school classroom in Medellin. Assailants opened fire Sunday from a moving car on vendors at an outdoor market, killing five people and wounding six others.
Police said they have arrested 183 suspects in connection with the shootings, but in most cases the actual gunmen escaped.
So far this year, 10 attacks in Medellin have resulted in the deaths of 80 people.
The most deadly attack occurred 10 days ago when drug-backed terrorists were blamed for detonating a 450-pound bomb outside a Medellin stadium as thousands of spectators were leaving the season’s last bullfight.
The blast killed 24 people, including 10 police officers, and injured about 170, police said.
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