MEXICO CITY – Over the weekend, a tragic incident unfolded at a National Guard barracks in Michoacan, located in western Mexico. A guardsman fatally shot three of his fellow service members, escalating concerns in a region already tense from recent violent events.

A federal official, who spoke to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, confirmed the shooting on Monday. The incident, which also left a fourth service member injured, is currently being investigated.

The shooter has been taken into custody in Michoacan, authorities reported.

This violent episode occurred on Saturday, coinciding with a car bomb explosion in Coahuayana, Michoacan, which claimed the lives of five individuals near a local police station.

President Claudia Sheinbaum refrained from providing further details regarding the matter during a statement on Monday.

These events have prompted the federal government to intensify security measures in Michoacan, dispatching additional troops following two high-profile killings that have recently shaken the state.

Last month, Sheinbaum sent 2,000 troops — on top of the 4,300 permanent ones and 4,000 in neighboring states – to Michoacan following the killings of an outspoken representative of the lime growers and a popular mayor standing up to the cartels.

At least three of the six drug cartels that the Trump administration designated as terrorist organizations — Jalisco New Generation, United Cartels and The New Michoacan Family — operate in Michoacan, in addition to a slew of homegrown armed splinter groups, some supported by the Sinaloa Cartel.