6 Men Are Slain in Texas

EDINBURG, Texas —  Six men, including at least two brothers, were shot to death early Sunday in a home invasion by four or five intruders who probably were looking for weapons and drugs, authorities said.

The mother of two of the victims was tied up with electrical cord and forced to look at a wall as one of her sons was shot in another room, Sgt. Rey Ramirez said. Four of five other victims were found dead inside a separate ramshackle house on the property. The sixth victim was found outside the structure.

Police Chief Quirino Munoz said there might have been two sets of brothers among the dead, some of whom were shot more than once. He said police would need another couple of days to identify all the victims.

Ramirez said no arrests had been made.

The woman, who freed herself after the intruders left, told authorities one of them was wearing clothing with “police” on it. Ramirez said several incidents have been reported in the last year in which people identifying themselves as police have invaded the homes of suspected drug traffickers and stolen money and drugs, but no one had been killed in those cases.

Ramirez said that the victims ranged in age from 20 to 32 and that police knew two of them from previous investigations; he did not say what kind of investigations.

Ramirez said the mother, who is in her 50s and ill, was staying with relatives.

Lupita Huerta told the (McAllen) Monitor that two of her nephews were among the dead. “Why would anyone want to come in and start shooting?” she said.

Neighbors reported hearing shots fired but did not see anything, Ramirez said.

Edinburg is about 220 miles south of San Antonio.