SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Activists in the Dominican Republic are denouncing a surge in extrajudicial killings after police said they fatally shot five suspected criminals in one of the country’s biggest cities.

The killings occurred Wednesday in Santiago de los Caballeros, with police accusing the suspects of opening fire on officers first.

Authorities said those killed were members of a gang suspected of kidnappings, drug trafficking and contract killings.

But activists are questioning Wednesday’s shootout as they noted that such killings have nearly doubled from last year.

“We consider what happened yesterday to be an abusive use of force by the National Police,” Manuel María Mercedes, president of the National Human Rights Commission, told The Associated Press.

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