Current:Home > StocksMayor-elect pulled off bus and assassinated near resort city of Acapulco -Edge Finance Strategies
Mayor-elect pulled off bus and assassinated near resort city of Acapulco
View
Date:2025-04-12 16:53:25
The mayor-elect of a small municipality near the crime-plagued Mexican resort city of Acapulco was assassinated early Monday, local prosecutors said — the latest in a series of attacks targeting politicians.
Salvador Villalba Flores — who was to take office in October in Copala, a town of about 4,000 residents about 80 miles southeast of Acapulco — was shot dead while traveling on a highway, prosecutors in Guerrero state said in a statement.
Prosecutors said that they had launched an investigation into the murder, but declined to provide further details.
Local newspaper El Sur de Guerrero reported that Villalba was a retired Navy captain who was usually protected by National Guard escorts, but was traveling alone to Mexico City when he was killed.
"The mayor-elect was taken off the bus he was traveling on when it stopped near San Pedro las Playas" and shot, the outlet reported.
Local media also reported Villalba had decided to run for mayor after his friend, a candidate, was murdered in June 2023.
In Mexico's general election on June 2, leftist Claudia Sheinbaum was elected by an overwhelming majority as the first woman president of the country.
As well as choosing a new president, Mexicans voted for members of Congress, several state governors and myriad local officials -- a total of more than 20,000 positions.
Since Mexico's campaign season began last September, more than two dozen political candidates have been killed, according to Data Civica, a non-governmental organization.
Earlier this month, a local councilwoman was gunned down as she was leaving her home in Guerrero. Her murder came a few days after the mayor of a town in western Mexico and her bodyguard were killed outside of a gym, just hours after Sheinbaum won the presidency.
Acapulco was once a playground for the rich and famous, but it has lost its luster in the last decade as foreign tourists have been spooked by bloodshed that has made it one of the world's most violent cities.
Last month, five people were killed in an armed attack in Acapulco, just three days after 10 other bodies were found in the resort city.
Guerrero, one of the states most affected by drug cartel violence given its location along Mexico's Pacific coast, recorded 1,890 murders in 2023.
More than 450,000 people have been murdered and thousands have gone missing since the Mexican government deployed the army to combat drug trafficking in 2006.
- In:
- Drug Cartels
- Mexico
- Murder
- Cartel
veryGood! (9738)
Related
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- How Asimov's 'Foundation' has inspired economists
- Janet Yellen heads to China, seeking to ease tensions between the two economic powers
- California Just Banned Gas-Powered Cars. Here’s Everything You Need to Know
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Chicago Institutions Just Got $25 Million to Study Local Effects of Climate Change. Here’s How They Plan to Use It
- Inflation eases to its lowest in over two years, but it's still running a bit high
- FTC investigating ChatGPT over potential consumer harm
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Fox pays $12 million to resolve suit alleging bias at Tucker Carlson's show
Ranking
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Should we invest more in weather forecasting? It may save your life
- Outnumbered: In Rural Ohio, Two Supporters of Solar Power Step Into a Roomful of Opposition
- Tom Cruise and Son Connor Cruise Make Rare Joint Outing Together in NYC
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- One Tree Hill’s Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals She Was in a Cult for 10 Years
- Vanessa Hudgens' Amazon Prime Day 2023 Picks Will Elevate Your Self-Care Routine
- Reddit says new accessibility tools for moderators are coming. Mods are skeptical
Recommendation
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Global Energy Report: Pain at the Pump, High Energy Costs Could Create a Silver Lining for Climate and Security
Amazon Prime Day 2023: Fashion Deals Under $50 From Levi's, New Balance, The Drop & More
Inside Clean Energy: The Idea of 100 Percent Renewable Energy Is Once Again Having a Moment
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Biden Administration Quietly Approves Huge Oil Export Project Despite Climate Rhetoric
The EV Battery Boom Is Here, With Manufacturers Investing Billions in Midwest Factories
This electric flying taxi has been approved for takeoff — sort of