VERACRUZ — A total of seven men were killed early Sunday May 22 in shootings at two nightclubs in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, authorities told the Associated Press.

The fatal incidents come as security in Veracruz continues to deteriorate, with drug-related executions and attacks against journalists occuring regularly.

The state prosecutor’s office said three gunmen opened fire from the deejay’s booth at four men sitting at a table in the La Madame club, killing them all. About a dozen people were wounded in that attack in the Veracruz state capital of Xalapa.

In the other incident, two men died in a gunfight with law enforcement officers at a club in the Veracruz city of Orizaba, prosecutors said.

One of the dead was identified as organized crime figure Luis Alberto Carrera Rodriguez, alias “El Negro,” or “Blackie.” The prosecutor’s office did not say what gang he belonged to.

Bar La Madame after shooting in Xalapa, Veracruz. (PHOTO: Info7.mx)

Veracruz has been the scene of bloody killings by the Zetas drug cartel as well as the Jalisco New Generation cartel. The state has also seen numerous disappearances and killings of journalists, as reported recently in The Yucatan Times.

Source: abcnews.go.com