6 gang members shot dead during a police shootout in Falcon, Venezuela

Six presumed members of a criminal gang were killed during a police confrontation in Falcón state, Venezuela, according to a report from local broadcaster El Noticiero Televen.

The incident occurred when officers from the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC) conducted a security operation in a wooded area near the town of Borojó. The deployment aimed to dismantle a dangerous criminal group known as “Los Fantasmas” (The Ghosts).

Authorities said the suspects opened fire on the officers with high-caliber weapons, triggering a heavy exchange of gunfire. In addition to the six fatalities among the alleged criminals, a CICPC chief who was leading the operation was seriously wounded by gunfire.

The injured officer was transferred to a medical facility in neighboring Zulia state, where his condition remains listed as reserved (guarded).

The report did not immediately provide further details on the identities of those killed or the specific circumstances leading to the operation.