Mexican mayor shot dead inside city hall

A Mexican mayor was shot and killed during an attack inside a municipal building in southwest Mexico, according to officials and local media reports.

Lilia Gemma García Soto, the mayor of San Mateo Piñas in the state of Oaxaca, was killed on Sunday morning when a group of six armed individuals, reportedly dressed in police uniforms, stormed the town hall and opened fire. A local community representative was also shot dead during the attack, according to local media reports.

The assailants reportedly overpowered the police officers guarding the municipal building before entering and carrying out the attack. They fled the scene on four motorcycles, authorities said.

A joint operation involving state police, prosecutors, and the Mexican army has been launched to locate those responsible, the Oaxaca State Secretary of Public Security said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn the assassination of San Mateo Piñas Mayor Lilia Gema García Soto,” said Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara. “There must be no impunity for this act. We will work closely with the prosecutor’s office to clarify the events and deliver justice.”

García Soto is the latest in a growing list of local officials killed in Mexico, where mayors and municipal leaders are frequent targets of criminal groups seeking to control territory or influence local governance.

Earlier this month, Salvador Bastida García, the mayor of Tacámbaro in Michoacán state, was shot and killed along with his bodyguard in an armed attack as he arrived at his home.

Today’s assassination also follows the reported drone bombing of the Benito Juárez city hall in Michoacán earlier this week. The incident, which took place in central-western Mexico, is believed to be the first known use of drones to target a government building. No casualties were reported.

The state of Oaxaca has seen rising violence in recent years, particularly in remote and mountainous regions where drug trafficking, illegal logging, and land disputes often overlap.

According to a 2025 report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Oaxaca has a strong presence of the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) and a smaller presence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), both of which were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the Trump administration.