Grenade attack kills 5 state police in Mexico

Attackers open fire on officers as they prepare to search car passengers

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updated 12:21 p.m. ET Oct. 9, 2008

MEXICO CITY - Authorities say five state police officers were killed in the western Mexican state of Jalisco by gunmen who fired more than 800 bullets and threw grenades at them.

Thursday's report from the Jalisco state public safety department says the officers were attacked Wednesday night as they prepared to search the passengers of a car they had just stopped in the town of Lagos de Moreno near Guadalajara.

It said an unknown number of attackers arrived in two pickup trucks and open fire on the officers, killing them instantly. Two civilians nearby were also wounded.

Story continues below ↓

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More than 3,000 have been killed in drug-related violence this year. Authorities say Mexico's major drug gangs are fighting for control of lucrative smuggling routes.