Mayoral Candidate, 3 Others Shot Dead During Campaign Rally In Mexico

A mayoral candidate and three of her supporters were shot dead at a campaign event in Mexico on Sunday. According to CNN, a Facebook live stream captured the horror incident. It showed Yesenia Lara Gutierrez, the candidate of President Claudia Sheinbaum's Morena party for mayor of Texistepec, greeting the residents as she paraded through the streets of Texistepec. The crowd was seen smiling and cheering before gunfire suddenly rang out off camera, drowning out their cheers. Around 20 gunshots were heard in the clip. Images shared elsewhere online appeared to show bodies in the street. 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the attack during her morning press conference on Monday, CNN reported. However, Ms Sheinbaum said that she had no information yet about the motive. Her government is in coordination with Veracruz state officials and offered federal support if necessary, she said. 

"We're coordinating, particularly with the Secretary of Security, and with all the support needed during this electoral period from Veracruz and Durango," Ms Sheinbaum said, referring to the upcoming June 1 elections in the two states.

Authorities are investigating the incident and have promised justice. 

Separately, Veracruz state governor Rocio Nahle confirmed the shooting on social media. "We will find those responsible for the cowardly murder of the Morena candidate and supporters in Texistepec; four dead and three wounded," she said, adding, "No position or office is worth a person's life."

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Notably, attacks on political candidates are common during election cycles in Mexico. According to CBS News, the incident comes two days after Cecilia Ruvalcaba, a councilmember in Mexico's western state of Jalisco, was gunned down in a hospital.

Last month, Jose Luis Pereira, a senior member of the Teocaltiche city government, was also killed while dining at a restaurant in Jalisco. In May 2024, a mayoral candidate was killed during a campaign stop in the southern state of Guerrero. Days later, the mayor of Cotija in Michoacan state was shot dead as she was walking from a gym back to her house with her bodyguard.

Since 2006, around 480,000 people have been murdered in Mexico, per the outlet.