Yesenia Lara
Yesenia Lara

The mayoral candidate of a Mexican city was gunned down on Sunday during a campaign event as deadly violence against politicians continues to soar in the country.

The politician in question was Yesenia Lara, who was the candidate of President Claudia Sheinbaum's ruling Morena party. She was running to be the next mayor of Texistepec, in the eastern state of Veracruz.

Videos of the incident show people running away as gunshots can be heard at the rally, which involved a motorcycle caravan and people carrying Morena flags. Three of her supporters were killed as well, while three others were wounded.

Veracruz Governor Rocio Nahle reacted to the crime, saying "no position is worth a person's life." "We will find those responsible for this cowardly murders of the candidate and Morena supporters in Texistepec; 4 dead and three wounded," she said in a post on X.

Lara's killing is the latest such episode in a country where politicians are routinely targeted. Last week a municipal councilwoman in Jalisco and head nurse at the Teocaltiche Community Hospital, Cecilia Ruvacalba, was shot and killed by three armed individuals.

According to witness accounts, three masked gunmen entered the hospital during the early hours of May 9 and immediately opened fire. Responding officers found Ruvalcaba's body with at least two gunshot wounds, while investigators recovered spent shell casings and a bullet near the scene. The Jalisco Attorney General's Office said the investigation is ongoing as authorities work to identify and locate those responsible.

In late April, Teocaltiche City Council Secretary José Luis Pereida was fatally shot outside a seafood restaurant near the city center, allegedly by cartel gunmen. Law enforcement officers have also come under attack. Last month, two officers — including Teocaltiche's police chief — were killed by suspected criminal organizations. In February, eight additional officers went missing under similar circumstances.

Last October, Chipacingo Mayor Alejandro Arcos was decapitated in an attack by criminal groups. His murder took place shortly after the city's government secretary, Francisco Tapia, was also shot to death.

Originally published on Latin Times

Mexico