On Wednesday, a local mayor in central Mexico was shot and killed in a town hall, marking a continuation of violence against officials in the region. The incident occurred in Temoac, a town in the state of Morelos, which is near Mexico City and an area where multiple drug cartels operate.

Mayor Valentin Lavin, affiliated with President Claudia Sheinbaum’s leftist party, had previously survived an attack in January, as reported by local media. His body was found within government facilities by forensic experts and police. The state’s prosecutor’s office announced that efforts to apprehend those responsible are ongoing.

According to official statistics, almost 100 mayors have been murdered in Mexico since the surge in drug-related violence began in 2006. Since the current administration took office in October 2024, 14 mayors have been murdered, with three occurring in 2026 alone, as reported by Uno TV.

Last November, the shooting of Mayor Carlos Manzo during Day of the Dead celebrations in Michoacan left the country in shock. In a separate incident last week, gunmen killed the husband of a councilwoman and injured the politician and her daughter during a school graduation outing.

Criminal gangs frequently target local officials, particularly in contested areas where cartels vie for control. On July 14, President Sheinbaum reported a near 50% reduction in homicides since September 2024, attributing the drop to her administration’s security measures.

Since the government began its offensive against drug cartels in 2006, an estimated 500,000 individuals have died, and about 130,000 have disappeared, according to government records.