Police in the city of San Pedro Sula told reporters that late Sunday unidentified assailants forced the victims, aged 16 to 19, to lie down in the street and then opened fire.
The neighborhood where the killings took place, Chamelecón, was one of many in the city that have been the scene of turf wars between gangs vying for control of extortion rackets.
The motive for the attack was not known, but reports said the dead were believed to be members of the Mara Salvatrucha (M-3) gang and the assailants members of a rival gang, Barrio 18. According to the daily El Heraldo, several gang members linked to the massacre have been arrested.
Capturan a pandilleros vinculados a masacre de Chamelecón. Lea los detalles: http://t.co/p6e5X0IeSK pic.twitter.com/sdi8T780Ff
— Diario El Heraldo (@diarioelheraldo) September 16, 2014
Some news reports said it occurred two blocks from the headquarters of a military police unit sent to pacify the city by President Juan Orlando Hernández.
Human rights organizations say there have been 66 incidents this year in which three or more people were killed.
Honduras has the world’s highest murder rate — 79 per 100,000 in 2013, according to monitors at the National University.
