The number of Tijuana minors being treated for gunshot wounds -- some children as young as two years old -- has increased about 50 percent in the past few months.

In interviews with two Tijuana dailies –- El Mexicano and Frontera -- Red Cross trauma center director Victoria García Noriega attributed the increase to “the wave of violence” the city is experiencing.

Last year, said García, the number of patients under 18 treated for gunshot wounds was between 5 and 7, but in the past few months, that number has shot up to between 15 and 20 patients.

In addition to the “wave of violence,” García blamed adults who leave firearms within reach of children.

Most of the underage gunshot victims are between 14 and 18, she said, but some have been 2 and 3 years old.

Many of the youngsters have required long periods of hospitalization for serious wounds to the neck, head, and chest, said García, but so far none of the patients treated at the Red Cross center has died from the injuries.