5th family gunned down in 2 weeks in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – A couple and their three children have been gunned down in western Mexico, marking the fifth killing of families in two weeks.

Mexican criminal gangs used to avoid targeting the family members of their rivals. But in recent weeks, gunmen have mowed down fathers, mothers and children indiscriminately.

Michoacan state prosecutors said Friday that the latest killings occurred in the drug-plagued city of Arteaga.

One person survived the attack by unidentified gunmen, and is being treated at a hospital.

Similar killings have occurred this month in Oaxaca and the northern border state of Tamaulipas.