Mexico’s Mayor Killed in Violence-Wracked State – JURIST

Alejandro Arcos, the mayor of the Mexican city of Chilpancingo, has been murdered Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed Sunday. ARcos was beheaded and left in a truck on Moctezuma Street. While the death was confirmed on Sunday, the actual murder is said to have taken place on Saturday. No arrests have been made so far.

Arcos took office just six days before his death and violence occurred even before his reign began. On September 27, the likely next city secretary of Public Safety, Ulises Hernandez Martinez, was murdered while driving along with his assistant. The secretary general of the municipal council, Francisco Gonzalo Tapia Gutiérrez, was shot dead just four days after taking office.

Chilpancingo is the capital of Guerrero, one of the poorest states in Mexico, where 1,890 murders took place last year alone. In June, the state also witnessed the assassination of Acacio Flores, the mayor of Malinaltepec. A large number of murders have also been recorded in Acapulco, a major seaside resort. Most of the violence, including the high number of political killings, in the state has been attributed to violence by drug cartels and traffickers involved in wars and conflicts with government forces.

Confirmation of Arcos’ death only came after unverified photos of his body began circulating on WhatsApp. Alejandro Moreno, the chairman of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), expressed his condolences over the recent series of deaths, saying that “they were young and honest officials who sought progress for their community… Given the situation of ungovernability in Guerrero, we will ask @ FGRMexic0 (the Office of the Attorney General) to assume the investigation into both murders.”