Gunmen kill Mexican mayoral candidate and 3 others during campaign event

A mayoral candidate in southern Mexico was shot and killed during a campaign event in what officials have described as an act of political violence ahead of the country’s June elections. Three others were also killed and at least three others were injured.

Yessenia Lara Gutiérrez, a candidate for mayor of Texistepec in Veracruz state, was speaking with supporters during a live broadcast on social media when gunfire erupted on Sunday night.

Video from the scene shows Lara greeting a supporter moments before the sound of gunshots triggered panic among attendees. Subsequent images showed her body covered with a banner bearing the logo of the ruling Morena party.

Authorities confirmed that four people were killed in the attack, including three men and Yessenia Lara, and that all died from gunshot wounds. The Prosecutor’s Office of Veracruz said a criminal investigation has been opened and that forensic teams and investigators are working to determine what happened. No arrests have been announced.

Governor Rocío Nahle of Veracruz publicly acknowledged the incident as part of a broader outbreak of political violence in the region. She condemned the killings as cowardly, stating: “Violence will never prevail over reason and law.”

Nahle added that she had contacted Mexico’s federal security chief to request further support for the area. A special security unit is being deployed to the municipality to safeguard the region in the lead-up to the June 1 vote.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the federal government is in contact with both Veracruz and Durango—another state facing local elections—and has pledged to provide additional support as needed.

Mexico’s upcoming elections are among the largest in its history, including votes for municipal governments, congressional seats, and—for the first time—hundreds of judicial positions. The killing of Lara is the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting political candidates across the country.