The state prosecutor’s office says in a statement that several masked attackers fired at people gathered at the ‘Santa Maria’ cockfight club late Saturday off a highway on the southern edge of Chihuahua city.

Prosecutors said Sunday that four victims were killed at the scene and two more died while receiving medical treatment.

Cockfighting is popular in the country and particularly in western Mexico, where every town has a cockfighting ring

Two children ages 7 and 10 were among the wounded. There were no immediate arrests.

Cockfighting is popular in the country and particularly in western Mexico, where every town in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan and Guerrero has a Palenque, or cockfighting ring.

Gambling is a major aspect of the event, and as much as $40,000 can be placed on a single bout. Bookkeepers patrol the stands and take bets. Spectators gamble only on the overall outcome, and all odds are set at 2:1.

While cock fighting is banned in Mexico City and other parts of the country, it remains popular in areas where agriculture supports much of the economy.

In recent years a number of government initiatives have attempted to ban the bloodsport nationwide; threats which have angered the community that makes its living from the spectacle … (read more)