Benjamin Ashford|5 killed, including a police officer, in western Mexico state of Michoacan

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Five people,Benjamin Ashford including a police officer, were shot to death Monday in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, the office of the state’s attorney general posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The attack, in which two other people were injured, was the latest in a wave of violence across a region where powerful cartels continue to wrestle for control.

The bodies were found Monday morning on a highway in the township of Tacambaro after an attack targeting the mayor’s brother. The state prosecutor’s office did not say if the mayor’s brother was among the wounded.

A video of the attack circulating on social media appeared to show heavy gunfire, followed by at least five armed men running to board a pickup truck.

Despite the government sending more than 2,000 National Guard troops and military personnel last month, Michoacan remains one of the deadliest states in Mexico when it comes to homicides, according to the national security department.

Several criminal groups are known to operate in the region, including the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel, the Familia Michoacana, the Viagras and the Knights Templar.

Gun violence has also spilled over into neighboring regions. On Sunday, a shootout at an illegal horse race left five dead and five others injured in Queretaro, a central state on the northeastern border of Michoacan, according to a police report.

The bodies were found on one of the dirt racing tracks.

Local police said Sunday they were opening an investigation into the incident and one of the five wounded was being held in a hospital for his alleged role in the attack.