Police: 8 executed in Monterrey, Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- The bodies of eight men, apparently executed before dawn Thursday, were left in a downtown street in Monterrey, Mexico, police said.

Citing news accounts from the region, the Los Angeles Times reported neighbors said they heard gunfire in the area before the bodies were found, with spent ammunition casings strewn about.

Adrian de la Garza, the prosecutor for Nuevo Leon state, said the killings may have been related to the death of a woman whose body was found at a different location from where the men were found.

Rival drug gangs have been engaged in violent battles in Monterrey since 2010, causing some residents to leave the area for safer environs, the newspaper said. Police said the Zetas drug gang was responsible for the massacre of 52 people in a Monterrey casino in August.

Mexican government officials say at least 47,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since 2006, the Times said.