A Mexican mayoral candidate has been shot dead in a horrific daylight attack captured on Facebook Live — the second such killing in the state of Veracruz ahead of the country’s national elections on June 1.
Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, a candidate from the ruling Morena party, was greeting supporters in the town of Texistepec on Sunday when gunmen opened fire. The footage shows Gutiérrez smiling and walking through a crowd before the sound of at least 20 gunshots rings out off-camera, sending people fleeing.
Her daughter and two others also died in the ambush, and three more were injured, according to Veracruz Governor Rocío Nahle García, who also belongs to Morena, the party of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the killing. President Sheinbaum, speaking at a news conference on Monday, said the federal government is supporting the state investigation.
“We’re working in coordination with the Secretary of Security and offering all necessary support during this electoral period,” she told reporters.
Violence linked to cartel activity has plagued Mexico’s political landscape for years. Just hours after Gutiérrez’s murder, two federal agents were reportedly killed in the city of Boca del Rio, also in Veracruz.
“No position is worth dying for,” Governor Nahle said in a press conference, vowing to pursue justice for the victims.
According to human rights group Data Cívica, 661 politically related attacks were recorded across Mexico last year — the highest number on record. Gutiérrez’s killing is the latest in a string of deadly attacks on political figures.
Just last year, a mayoral candidate was gunned down during a campaign video shoot in Guerrero, and the mayor of Cotija in Michoacán was murdered while walking home from the gym.
In October, the newly elected mayor of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, was decapitated — his head left on his vehicle days after taking office.
Only two weeks ago, another Morena candidate, Germán Anuar Valencia, was shot and killed inside his campaign headquarters in northern Veracruz.
As election day nears, officials and citizens alike remain on edge, with fears mounting that political violence will escalate further in what is already one of the world’s most dangerous countries for politicians.
