7 month old baby killed alongside his parents by gangs in Mexico (Graphic pics)

7 month old Marcos Miguel Pano Colón (left) was shot dead by gang members alongside his parents last week. Horrific photos showing the bodies of the baby boy and his parents slaughtered in Oaxaca, Mexico, were released this week and it has sparked fierce debate about the country's rampant gang violence and society's acceptance of it.

The boy was being carried by his 24-year-old father, Juan Alberto Pano Ramos, and accompanied by his 17-year-old mother, Alba Isabel Colón, when their attackers opened fire on them in the city of Pinotepa Nacional on Friday evening. 

Police have since arrested four people in connection with the murders. The police said that Juan and Alba were targeted by the gang for selling drugs. 'A rival drug gang from [the neighboring state of] Guerrero located them and had them riddled with bullets,' a prosecutor said.

Gonzáles 'El Isis' Gerónimo, a suspected drug trafficker linked with the slain parents, was also killed in Oaxaca state the same day.

Gang violence is rife in some areas of Mexico. The Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, which analyses crime in the country, says that from 2006-2012, the total number of homicides in the country could have been as high as 125,000.

Source: UK Daily Mail